BANGOR – A Hersey man was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to nearly three years in prison on gun charges.

Ronald L. Kaelin, 51, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term. He also was ordered to forfeit the 20-gauge shotgun he had possessed illegally.

Kaelin was indicted by a federal grand jury in January on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and having a firearm while under a protective order that forbid the possession of firearms.

Under the federal sentencing guidelines, he faced between 27 and 33 months in prison.

Kaelin was arrested on Aug. 8, 2007, after police learned that he was in possession of a shotgun. A protection order issued on July 23, 2007, from 2nd District Court in Houlton prohibited him from having guns.

His previous convictions, according to court documents, included one for arson in Arizona and one in Maine for a domestic violence assault.

The case was part of Maine’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative that coordinates the efforts of federal and state agencies, according to U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby. The project’s goal is to increase the successful prosecution of firearms cases and educate potential offenders on the serious consequences of illegal gun use and possession.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

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