ADDYSTON, Ohio — Former Addyston Police Chief Dorian LaCourse will plead guilty in a federal probe of heavily-regulated machine guns sold by Tri-State weapons dealers, according to a motion filed Friday by LaCourse's defense attorney.

LaCourse resigned as Addyston police chief in 2020.

In March 2021, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana announced a federal grand jury had indicted LaCourse for allegedly conspiring to help two Indiana gun dealers acquire about 200 machine guns.

LaCourse was indicted on 17 counts of lying on federal firearms forms that were used to help the gun dealers acquire the weapons.

"The specific terms of the guilty plea are being submitted for approval to supervisory authorities within the United States Attorney’s Office," LaCourse's defense attorney, Andrew Maternowski, wrote in his motion to vacate the February court date scheduled for trial.

Court records show the two Indiana gun dealers, Johnathan Marcum, of Laurel, Indiana, and Christopher Petty, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, pleaded guilty in May 2021 to conspiracy for their roles in the machine gun scheme. Petty is a former police officer at several small departments in the Tri-State, including Addyston.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said LaCourse and the gun dealers exploited a law enforcement exception to a general ban on fully-automated guns.

According to his indictment, LaCourse falsely claimed that Addyston's small police department was interested in acquiring and using the machine guns. Instead, the indictment says, it was a scheme to get the guns and sell them.

Maternowski did not respond immediately Monday night to a request for comment.

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