A man who stole a rifle from his father’s Covington County home and sold it to a convicted felon got probation in Mobile last week for the sale.

Chief U.S. District Judge William Steele noted that Jeffrey Truman Evans compounded his problems, and found his way into federal court, by selling the gun to a felon. But the judge said he was sentencing Evans to probation because he was convinced that the defendant had turned his life around.

“Had you taken that firearm to a pawn shop to get money, we wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

Assistant Federal Defender Fred Tiemann said his client was smoking marijuana and abusing cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription pills when he took the gun in 2009.

“It’s been almost three years,” he said. “During that 3-year period, Mr. Evans has tried hard to turn his life around.”

Evans stole the Ruger semiautomatic rifle and then gave it to an acquaintance with instructions to sell it for him. Evans later told investigators that he was having money problems because of divorce and child support.

“I wish I could take it all back,” Evans told the judge.