GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Before sentencing David George Couillard on counts of possession of illegal firearms and felonious assault, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Maloney reiterated the fact that Couillard has a “violent, aggressive criminal history.”
It began in 1988 when Couillard pointed a gun at a handcuffed man and threatened to cut the man’s finger off if the man didn’t pay $200.
Almost 10 years after in 1998 two more incidents occurred. A woman was punched in the face and cut twice by knife on her forearm by Couillard. In the same year, Couillard kidnapped a teen boy with another man. During the kidnapping Couillard had a handgun and his assailant shot the teen with a crossbow.
Couillard served 12 years in state prison for these crimes, and was released in 2010.
In July of 2016 Mecosta County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of domestic abuse. The victim reported that Couillard had assaulted her many times by pulling her hair, beating her with a belt and punching her in the face. Upon arrival officers discovered multiple firearms in the house.
Judge Maloney sentenced Couillard to 8 years for the possession of two illegal short-barreled rifles and possession of a firearm as a felony. He will also serve two to four years for the felonious assault.
