FAIRMONT — A Jackson man is facing felony charges in Martin County.

Bradley Joseph Arnold, 33, has been charged with two counts of possession of a firearm. The maximum penalty for each charge is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Sept. 21, a conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was on patrol on a watercraft on the east fork of the Des Moines River, between Okamanpeedan Lake and Tuttle Lake in Martin County. As the officer was heading north, he observed duck decoys in the water next to the shore. Through his binoculars he observed an adult male actively casting with his rod and reel while a juvenile was holding a shotgun.

The officer recognized the man as Arnold, who advised the officer he was fishing while his 10-year-old relative was waterfowl hunting. The child advised he shot a couple of times but did not get any ducks. The officer asked the child to unload his firearm for inspection.

The child ejected the shell in the chamber but had an issue ejecting the shells in the magazine tube. The officer observed that the child had an issue with muzzle control over his firearm, so the officer took the firearm and ejected the last two shells from the magazine tube.

The officer asked Arnold if his gun rights were revoked and Arnold nodded his head.

Based upon the location where the pair were hunting, the officer concluded they had entered the area through private property, coming from the north off of Bright Lake Road.

The officer provided this information to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and advised the department’s investigator that the child in question had not completed firearms safety and was not able to obtain a waterfowl hunting license because of his age. The child also was not old enough to purchase or own a firearm, and he was under the direction and control of Arnold while hunting that day.

On Sept. 27, the investigator interviewed the child, who indicated it was only he and Arnold who were out hunting. The child said the gun he was holding belonged to a female relative, and said he and Arnold went to a relative’s house, obtained a canoe and then went down to the “hunting hole.” The child said they did not get any ducks. He also said it was his first time duck hunting.

The child said Arnold stored the gun in his house with other guns. He explained that the guns were in a closet that does not have a lock. The child also said that when they had finished hunting, Arnold put the gun in his truck.

Also on Sept. 27, the investigator and deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Arnold’s residence in rural Jackson County. During the search, officers discovered four long guns in the downstairs bedroom closet and several dismantled long guns under the bed. The closet was not closed or locked.

Officers discovered a device used to defeat a urine test in the night stand next to the bed.

Officers further discovered a significant amount of ammunition and a loaded pistol in the residence.

Officers searched Arnold’s pickup and discovered duck decoys in the bed of the truck and two long guns in the back seat. One of the long guns was consistent with the gun used to hunt with the child. Officers discovered additional ammunition in the pickup, as well as six glass pipes commonly used to smoke meth.

Arnold was convicted of a felony controlled substance crime on June 11 and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.