Seller of fatal
weapon is sentenced

A 42-year-old man who sold the gun that Shane Mark used to kill police officer Glen Gaspar was sentenced to 30 days at the federal detention center and three years of supervised release, including eight months on home detention.

Darren Nakahara pleaded guilty in June to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted he sold the gun to Mark in November 2002 for $100 and a half-gram of crystal methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Silverberg said they consider this a serious offense but weighed it against the substantial assistance Nakahara provided in state court at the trial of Mark, who was convicted of second-degree murder for intentionally causing Gaspar's death.

U.S. District Judge Susan Mollway granted the government's request for a lighter sentence based on his cooperation in the state case as well as his conduct since his arrest.

Federal public defender Peter Wolff noted that while Nakahara has a criminal record, it is mostly for stealing cars and drug offenses -- the apparent result of his addiction to "ice."

Since he was placed on supervised release in June 2003, Nakahara has been undergoing drug treatment and has tested negative on all his drug tests, is employed and has a stabilizing factor in his life -- his girlfriend and their new baby, according to Wolff.

Nakahara apologized to the court for his conduct, saying his new family was the most important thing in his life, next to God. He will surrender to the U.S. marshals Oct. 12.