PORT ANGELES — A 52-year-old Clallam County man is heading to prison after firing a gun during a chaotic scene at a trailer park fire.
Daniel O. Bertelson was sentenced last week to 26 months behind bars for unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree.
The case goes back to July of last year, when fireworks sparked a fire near Bean Road. Witnesses said kids had been lighting fireworks near a trailer park when the blaze broke out. As neighbors rushed to put out the flames, police say Bertelson came out of his trailer and fired several shots into the air.
Officers from Port Angeles and Lower Elwha responded quickly, found spent shell casings, and recovered a handgun. They later confirmed Bertelson is a convicted felon — banned from having any firearms due to past convictions for manslaughter and conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine.
After a jury found him guilty, a judge sentenced Bertelson to just over two years in prison.