Minot Man Gets Seven Years on Weapons Charge

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man has been sentenced to seven years in prison on an illegal weapons charge.

A federal jury in June convicted 47-year-old Brian Sweeney, of Minot, on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sweeney was stopped by police for a traffic violation in October 2013. Authorities found a .380-caliber handgun in the vehicle.

Sweeney was prohibited from owning a firearm because of previous felony convictions. He was on probation with the state of North Dakota at the time he was arrested.

A federal public defender could not be reached for comment.