MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – The United States Department of Justice announced that a Wisconsin man will be spending time in prison after being sentenced on Tuesday.

The United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, Timothy M. O’Shea, stated that 38-year-old David Barber, from Beloit, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for possessing a firearm in a school zone.

According to the release, a Beloit police officer pulled over Barber’s silver SUV early in the morning on December 20, 2020, less than a thousand feet from a school.

While the officer was conducting the traffic stop, they reportedly saw a ‘large revolver’ and an open alcoholic beverage in the SUV’s center console. When asked to get out of the vehicle, Barber drove off, fleeing the scene.

The release goes on to say that the officers used an identification card Barber gave them during the traffic stop to locate him in his brother’s apartment. After a search of the apartment, authorities found a loaded .45 Colt revolver that was later tested and found to have Barber’s DNA on the trigger.

During the time of the traffic stop, Barber was under federal supervision after being released from prison for trafficking heroin.

Barber would later plead guilty to the possession of a firearm in a school zone charge on October 12, 2022. The release says part of Barber’s sentence was influenced by his history of violating terms of supervision multiple times.

On top of the 42 months in prison, Barber was also ordered to forfeit the gun and its ammunition. The Judge that sentenced Barber, District Judge William M. Conley, said this sentence was to hold Barber accountable and to protect the community.