PERRY TWP., Pa. (EYT) — An Elk County man was sentenced to one year of probation on Thursday after admitting he provided false information on a background check form while attempting to obtain a rifle he won in a local raffle.
According to a criminal complaint, 62-year-old Donald Scott Davison, of Johnsonburg, visited a Jefferson County gun store on July 24, 2025, to complete a background check for a Ruger rifle he had won at a gun bash.
The complaint states Davison signed a federal firearms transaction record and checked “no” on a question asking if he had ever been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. A state police investigation found that Davison had been denied firearm purchases three times previously. The complaint indicates that Davison had received paperwork in 2011 confirming his challenge to a prior denial was rejected.
According to the complaint, Davison has a 2008 misdemeanor conviction that resulted in a five-year sentence of supervision. During an interview with state police, Davison said his understanding of his criminal history was that the past conviction was “no longer relevant.” When asked if a judge in a past case could have sentenced him to more than a year, Davison said he was unsure but agreed it was “possible,” the complaint continues.
Court records show Davison pleaded guilty to a third-degree misdemeanor charge of statement under penalty during a preliminary hearing on May 7 before Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock. A felony charge for making a materially false written statement was withdrawn as part of the plea, according to the docket.
