Twin Falls Man Sentenced to Prison on Federal Charges
TWIN FALLS, Idaho – A Twin Falls man has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison on federal charges.
Jesus Javier Malagon, 32, was sentenced to 355 months in prison on federal drug and gun charges and for shooting at a Shoshone City police officer, according to U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis.
A jury in February found Malagon guilty of the charges after a week-long trial in Boise. He was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the Federal Courthouse. After his prison term, Malagon also will have four years of supervised release.
The case stemmed from a traffic stop that took place on Jan. 30, 2018, a news release from Davis’s office on Thursday explained.
A Shoshone City police officer stopped Malagon and discovered that he had a large amount of marijuana, a digital scale, drug packaging items and two loaded handguns in the vehicle.
Police said Malagon fled from the officer and a high-speed chase ensued. Malagon eventually crashed the vehicle and injuring himself in the process. When the officer approached him after the crash, the news release said, Malagon shot a 9-millimeter handgun at the officer.
The officer, who was not injured, immediately returned fire, striking Malagon multiple times. Malagon suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the shooting. During a subsequent search of Malagon’s vehicle, investigators found the 9-millimeter handgun, a .38-caliber revolver, multiple pounds of marijuana, and other items showing that Malagon was distributing marijuana. Malagon had previously been convicted of manufacturing marijuana, a felony, and was prohibited from possessing firearms.