Jury acquits Columbiana man on gun-silencer charge

CLEVELAND — A jury in federal court acquitted a Columbiana County man of a gun-silencer possession charge today after nearly an hour of deliberation at the end of a two-day trial.

Brent See, 40, was facing up to 10 years in prison had he been convicted, said Atty. David Betras, who defended See.

The trial was before U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent.

See’s defense was he possessed muzzle breaks that reduce gun recoil, not silencers that muffle the sound of gunfire, Betras said.

A U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expert testified that only a tube had to be placed over the devices to create silencers, but a defense expert witness contradicted that, Betras said.

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