Grand Island man sentenced for possession of a firearm by a felon

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- A 51-year-old Grand Island man was sentenced to four years of probation for having a firearm.

Daniel Harp received his sentence on Friday in federal court in Lincoln. Harp received four years of probation with special conditions and an additional condition of 12 weekends of intermittent confinement for possession of a firearm by a felon. There is no parole in the federal system and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Gerrard.

According to court documents, Harp was stopped in his vehicle by a Grand Island officer on May 28, 2020. He was reportedly pat searched where the officer found a container with pills found on his person. The container did not have a prescription label on it and contained controlled substances, leading to officers searching Harp's vehicle. Officers reportedly found loose marijuana shake on the floorboard and several handgun shells throughout the cabin of the vehicle. They also found a black backpack in the back seat with Harp's mail, a digital scale, several plastic baggies, syringes, a knife, a metal spoon, and a butane refill brass pin. Another officer found a TriStar Viper 12-gauge shotgun in the back seat area under a seat. That shotgun had been reportdely shipped and transported in interstate commerce.

Officials said Harp previously had a felony conviction under Nebraska law for possession of a controlled substance, attempted distribution of a controlled substance, and theft. This case was investigated by the Tri-Cities Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT).