Madera County Man Sentenced For Marijuana Cultivation And Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm
FRESNO, Calif. - Lawrence Alexander Tidwell, 32, of Coarsegold, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to eight years in prison for cultivating marijuana and being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to court documents, a search warrant was served in May 2013 at a trailer on Eagle Drive in Raymond occupied by Tidwell, and 1,247 marijuana plants were found inside. Officers seized two rifles and a shotgun from a gun safe along with high-capacity magazines and more than 1,300 rounds of ammunition. On top of the gun safe was a loaded Sig Sauer pistol and a second magazine for that firearm. The serial numbers had been removed from two of the seized firearms, and one had been reported stolen. Tidwell had previously been convicted of crimes that prohibited him from possessing firearms.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya prosecuted the case.
Tidwell has been in custody since his arrest on June 17, 2014, and he pleaded guilty to the charges on July 6, 2015. In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, Tidwell was sentenced to serve four years of supervised release once he is released from the Bureau of Prisons.
