Peru man gets 12 years in shooting incident

PORTLAND – A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Peru man to 12 years in prison for a shooting incident that shattered a window and injured a neighbor.

Jeffrey Stearns, 45, pleaded guilty in January to possession of a firearm as a felon. Stearns, who was prosecuted as an armed career criminal, faced a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $250,000.

U.S. District Judge Gene Carter also sentenced Stearns to four years of supervised parole and a $3,000 fine.

The mandatory minimum for the crime was 15 years in prison, but a judge can impose a lesser sentence to reflect the defendant’s cooperation with the government, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Dilworth.

Denise Dyke was injured Oct. 8 when Stearns fired at a deer and shattered the glass of her living room window. She had heard a shot and went to the window to look outside. A second shot ricocheted off the ground and went through the glass.

Game wardens discovered 11 guns in Stearns’ car while investigating the incident.

Stearns was prosecuted as an armed career criminal because of convictions for robbery in 1975, three burglaries in 1980 and possession of a firearm by a felon last May.

Woody Hanstein, Stearns’ lawyer, asked Carter to consider that the felonies occurred more than two decades ago. Hanstein also argued that two of the burglaries happened at the same stove shop on one night and should not be considered two separate crimes.

“You’re asking me to turn a blind eye to the legal requirements,” Carter replied.

Stearns offered an apology in court for the incident.

“What I did was wrong,” Stearns told Carter. “There is no excuse, and I feel really bad for it.”

Carter answered, “I appreciate you’re feeling bad, but that really doesn’t alter the harm you’ve done.”