Man Arrested for Armed Burglary in Baytown Township Faces Federal Weapons Charge

The 42-year-old St. Paul man who now faces federal charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun.

Michael Scott Canfield—described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a “career criminal”—pointed a .45-caliber, semi-automatic pistol at an , according to a federal indictment. Canfield then fled the scene.

Detectives later found a .45 caliber handgun on the ground next to a tree in the woods adjacent to where Canfield’s vehicle was parked in Stillwater.

Because he is a felon, Canfield is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm at any time.

His prior felony convictions include:

• Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Ramsey County in 1988;
• Damage to property in Ramsey County in 1989;
• Receiving stolen property in Ramsey County in 1991 and again in 1993;
• Theft in Ramsey County in 1992 and again in 1994;
• Fleeing a peace officer in Ramsey County in 2006;
• Receiving stolen property in Kanebec County in 1993;
• Second-degree burglary in Sherburne County in 1996;
• Fleeing police in a motor vehicle in Dakota County in 2006;
• First-degree burglary (two counts) in Stearns County in 2006;
• Recklessly endangering safety in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, in 2000.

Because at least three of Canfield’s prior offenses constitute crimes of violence, if Canfield is found guilty of possessing a firearm he will be subject to the federal Armed Career Criminal Act.

That act mandates a minimum of 15 years in federal prison. All sentences, however, are determined by a federal district court judge.

The case was investigated by the U.S.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Stillwater Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst.