One of three gun-related charges filed against the Vadnais Heights father of a boy accused of threatening violence against fellow students has been dismissed.
On Monday authorities dropped one count of possession of a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun previously facing Christopher Stowe, according to court records.
Stowe still faces a second count of the same charge as well as a third count of negligent storage of firearms. Machine guns and short-barreled shotguns are banned in Minnesota.
The count was dismissed after further investigation revealed the gun in question was a rifle, according to information provided by a spokesman for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.
While a rifle is not illegal to posses in the state, it could be considered for charges by federal authorities, the spokesman said.
Stowe’s attorney, Bruce Rivers, said he anticipated the development and said he expects to see the second illegal gun possession charge dropped as well.
“As I said from the beginning, this is a classic case of government overreach,” Rivers said. “The gun they thought was a short-barreled shotgun was nothing of the sort.”
Rivers said the gun was in fact a pistol.
He added that law enforcement mistook another of Stowe’s guns for a machine gun, which Rivers insists it wasn’t.
Christopher Stowe and his wife, Lisa Stowe, were charged after authorities executed a search warrant on March 2 at their Vadnais Heights home following an incident at their 13-year-old son’s school the previous day.
During the search, law enforcement found the illegal guns as well as several other firearms that were found “loaded and located out in the open,” legal documents say.
Authorities say their search was prompted by a report that the boy had threatened to kill a classmate at the Academy for Sciences & Agriculture in Vadnais Heights.
The boy faces one felony count of threats of violence. His mother was charged with one count of gross-misdemeanor-level negligent storage of a firearm.
The 13-year-old is autistic and his family has indicated that his actions were harmless and misinterpreted.
Christopher Stowe’s next hearing is scheduled for June 5.
Lisa Stowe’s next hearing is Friday.