DENVER (KDVR) — A 31-year-old transient man wanted on several Colorado warrants was sentenced in New Hampshire district court on Dec. 18 for stealing a shotgun from a good Samaritan who sheltered him one night.
According to the plea agreement, Shelby Theriault was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Theriault pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, which he was charged with on Jan. 20.
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According to court records, Theriault had been living in New Hampshire’s North Country woods and was allowed to stay in a good Samaritan’s guest bedroom overnight in early January. The good Samaritan reported that a shotgun had been stolen on Jan. 15.
On Jan. 20, Conway police arrested Theriault on an unrelated theft case and discovered the sawed-off shotgun in his possession. Police say he admitted to stealing the shotgun, reducing the gun’s length and keeping it for protection, in addition to defacing the gun’s serial number. The gun would have had to be registered with the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, which resulted in the failure to register charge.