Felon found with pistol, magazine loaded with 33 rounds; facing charges

A Cape Girardeau man has pleaded guilty in U.S. Federal Court here to a felony count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Gabriel D. Housman, 25, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge John A. Ross.

According to a written plea agreement, Cape Girardeau police officers observed Housman in the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle on May 9. At that time, there was an an outstanding state warrant for Housman's arrest. Officers arrested Housman and found a semi-automatic pistol in the vehicle where Housman had been sitting. The pistol contained a magazine loaded with 33 rounds of live ammunition.

Housman has prior convictions for unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Cape Girardeau County and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 16. Housman faces a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.