Staff Report

SOUTH BEND — A Goshen man will serve seven years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm after being adjudicated mentally defective.

Koby Eldridge, 31, Goshen, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty on Thursday, May 23.

Eldridge was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in May 2023, Eldridge was found to be in possession of five loaded firearms that were recovered from his car. Also during that time, another loaded firearm and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his residence. Eldridge had previously been adjudicated to be incompetent to stand trial in Elkhart Superior Court in February 2021, and had been committed to a mental institution, such that he was precluded from possessing firearms.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Goshen Police Department, the Elkhart Police Department, and the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.