Robert Lawrence Hunt, a 40-year-old from Bakersfield, has been indicted on federal charges of firearm possession and manufacturing. The grand jury's indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert on August 29, underscores the continuing risks related to previous convictions. The news was shared in an official release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Court documents reveal that in July 2022, Hunt possessed a destructive device comprised of parts destined for conversion into an explosive, it was inclusive of screws adhering to the federal definition of a firearm, as stated on the U.S. Attorney's Office website; prior to these developments, he had been convicted of two robberies and a burglary in Kern County Superior Court, which prohibits his firearm possession yet Hunt is deemed innocent until proven guilty, a standard core to our justice.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, cooperating with the Bakersfield Police Department, carried the torch of inquiry that shed light upon Hunt's illegal activities, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is handed the reins for the prosecution of the case which articulates the risk such destructive devices pose to public safety.
Hunt could face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and additionally if he is convicted of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm manufacturing a firearm, he could see up to 10 years in prison and a fine of equal measure, with the actual sentencing to fall within the judicial discretion tempered by statutory factors and federal guidelines, as mentioned by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The enmeshment of Hunt's case in Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program launched to interlace law enforcement efforts with community engagement to staunch violent crime and the gun violence bleeding into our communities, reflects the U.S. Department of Justice's May 26, 2021, the violent crime reduction strategy that has vested itself in foundational principles that seek to sew trust into the communal fabric that enveloped neighborhoods long marred by fear and violence.
