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Posey County man indicted with being felon in possession of firearm

Susan W. Brooks, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, announced that MATTHEW R. CURTIS, 24, of Mt. Vernon, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Indianapolis for felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a sawed-off shotgun, following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Mt. Vernon Police Department, and the Posey County Sheriff's Department.

The indictment alleges that on September 19, 2002, in Posey County, Indiana, CURTIS possessed a shotgun and shotgun ammunition after he had been convicted of a felony on April 23, 1997, in Posey County, Indiana. In a separate count of the indictment it is alleged that the shotgun that CURTIS possessed is an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who is prosecuting the case for the government, CURTIS faces a maximum possible prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum possible fine of $250,000. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Evansville.

The indictment is an allegation only, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial or by guilty plea.