Cavanaugh Found Guilty Of Illegal Weapons Charges

A Davenport man who was arrested earlier this year with an Uzi automatic rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition was found guilty Thursday of three illegal weapons charges.

After a three-day trial, Paul Cavanaugh, 36, was convicted of being a felon in possession of the rifle, a .44 magnum pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition.

A U.S. District Court jury found him not guilty of two other charges, illegal possession of an unregistered weapon and interstate transport of an unregistered weapon.

Judge Frem Nielsen will sentence Cavanaugh on Feb. 10. The likely sentence range is from 6 to 10 years.

In his defense, Cavanaugh said he needed the weapons to arm himself as a vigilante against Spokane area gangs.

His criminal record includes convictions for attempted manufacture of methamphetamine, attempted second-degree burglary, being a felon in possession of a gun and second-degree malicious mischief.

He was arrested near Spirit Lake, Idaho, in July by two agents who Cavanaugh was told were members of the Idaho militia.

Cavanaugh had been under surveillance in Lincoln County following the detonation of a bomb outside Spokane City Hall. He was known to associates as a militia “wanna-be” who called himself an anti-government constitutionalist.

When confronted by agents outside his home near Davenport, Cavanaugh ran off. Agents searched his home, finding firearms, a shotgun and a guerrilla guidebook, “The Poor Man’s James Bond.”

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