Man pleads guilty to unlawful possession

COLFAX — An Albion man pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm after shooting into the darkness.

During a Superior Court hearing Friday, Jan. 3, Dylan Robert McCleod, 32 of Albion pled guilty to second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm after shooting at what he thought was his girlfriend’s ex down the street.

Prosecutor Dan LeBeau stated at 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2024, the defendant’s girlfriend reported to the Sheriff’s Office her ex was at the property knocking on her window.

Deputies from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Officer responded when McCleod’s girlfriend heard gunshots.

“Her boyfriend McCleod said he saw what appeared to be someone shooting at the end of the road, so he shot back,” LeBeau said.

LeBeau told the court, McCleod was in possession of his girlfriend’s 9 mm firearm and had thought her ex-boyfriend was shooting at him from down the road.

McCleod was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Officers looked for evidence of someone having had shot off rounds but found none, later determining the ex-boyfriend was stationed in Arizona or New Mexico with the United States military.

His commander officer confirmed he had been on duty that day.

“Firing a firearm into the dark without knowing what’s out there is a pretty crazy thing to do,” Libey said. “I’ll follow the state’s recommendation, with some hesitancy.”

McCleod was granted a first time offender with two days in jail and a felony firearm offender.