GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former Hudsonville High School student-athlete could spend up to a decade in a federal prison after admitting he had a device that allowed his semi-automatic gun to fire like a machine gun.
On Wednesday, Ethan Carter pleaded guilty to one count of possession and transfer of a machinegun, per court records. In exchange for his plea, the U.S. Attorney's Office dropped the other charges against Carter.
With his guilty plea, Carter admitted to giving a gun conversion device to another person on June 22, 2025, knowing its purpose was to allow a person to fire multiple bullets with a single pull of the trigger. Carter also agreed that a July 17 search of his home resulted in the seizure of seven devices, including one installed on a pistol, per court records.
The discovery came just over a month after Carter was shot in Birmingham, Alabama in what police called an attempted gun purchase that turned into a robbery.
Carter was in Alabama for football training at the time. He was due to join the football team at Davenport University last fall, but was not listed on the team's roster during the season.
According to court documents, Carter struggled to follow the terms of his bond, testing positive for OxyContin despite not having a prescription for the drug, and absconding from a housing program for teens in the legal system.
In December, the judge ordered him to be taken into custody.
Now Carter faces up to 10 years in prison. His plea deal set no guidelines to reduce the possible sentence.
A hearing to set his punishment is scheduled for this June.
