GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Hudsonville grad who was shot in Alabama this summer will now remain in custody after a judge ruled he violated terms of his bond in connection to federal gun charges.
Ethan Carter was remanded to the U.S. Attorney General's Office on December 10.
The 18-year-old is accused of possessing multiple machine gun conversion devices, which allow semi-automatic guns to fire non-stop with a continuous pull of the trigger. Those devices were seized by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office during a search on July 17. One of the devices was installed on a Glock pistol and six more were in his possession, per filings by a federal prosecutor.
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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 this fall, but is not listed on the team's roster.
After being arraigned on the gun charges, the teen posted bond and was allowed to live at a complex for people going through the legal process. The court also permitted Carter to pursue employment as well.
However, issues cropped up in November. As part of his housing program, Carter had to undergo a drug test, which returned a positive result for OxyContin. Carter admitted to the drug use, but claimed it was part of medication prescribed to him after being shot, according to a report filed by the U.S Marshals.
The court officer later determined Carter did not have a prescription for OxyContin. The terms of his bond were changed to include drug testing on November 26.
Also in November, Carter signed out of his housing program to go to work, but staff reported to the Marshals that he was still undergoing a background check with his employer and wasn't allowed to log hours yet.
In response to those questionable sign outs, staff at the housing program told Carter he was no longer allowed to leave the building on Thanksgiving. Minutes later the 18-year-old left the facility with his father, despite continued warnings from the staff, according to court records.
On Tuesday Judge Robert Jonker ordered Carter back into custody.
Also on Tuesday, Carter's attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing the federal ban on machine gun ownership is unconstitutional and that the information that led to the search warrant came from an unidentified and unreliable source.
No ruling on the motion to dismiss was made on Tuesday.
