A Juneau resident living in Wrangell was acquitted of gun charges last week after a jury found him not guilty of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Troy Crandall, Sr., 54, of Juneau, was absolved of charges on May 23 that he possessed a Glock semi-automatic pistol in 2011 and left the weapon with a Wrangell resident – a charge that could have landed him in jail or state prison.
Crandall was alleged to have given a Glock Model 22 handgun to Wrangellite Jodie Perez in 2011. Perez testified that she hid the weapon for Crandall and subsequently sold the weapon for $50 to fellow Wrangell resident William Shanks.
According to prosecutor Jean Seaton, Shanks was arrested and convicted in 2011 for possession of the weapon in question and while intoxicated during a domestic dispute. After his arrest, Shanks reportedly told police the weapon’s original owner was Crandall.
The jury was informed that Crandall was previously convicted of a felony and is ineligible to possess concealable firearms under Alaska law.
Jury foreperson Billie Younce said the prosecution and police failed to prove their case – and that there was no evidence that Crandall ever possessed the weapon personally.
“They didn’t prove their case to us,” Younce said after the trial. “There was no evidence he actually ever had the gun.”
On the advice of his attorney, public defender Jude Pate, Crandall declined to be interviewed for this story.
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