A Bayou La Batre man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after a routine traffic stop in the city revealed a stolen revolver, methamphetamine, and other drugs in his vehicle.
How the Case Began
Court records show that on Nov. 24, 2021, a Bayou La Batre police officer pulled over Winston Alexander Thatch for running a stop sign. The officer quickly noticed the car was carrying a switched license tag. A search of the vehicle followed.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, Thatch had a rubber hose in his lap and methamphetamine in his pocket at the time of the stop. Investigators also found a marijuana blunt in the car’s ashtray and a loaded High Standard Double-Nine Convertible .22-caliber revolver inside a bag. The revolver was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
Stolen Gun, Repeat Offender
Federal investigators determined the revolver had been reported stolen out of Bayou La Batre. Thatch later pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors noted that Thatch already carried two prior felony convictions from Mobile County — first-degree receiving stolen property and second-degree assault, both entered in November 2019 — making him a three-time convicted felon at sentencing.
In December 2022, a United States District Court judge sentenced Thatch to 84 months — seven years — in federal prison for the firearm offense. The case was prosecuted as part of ongoing federal efforts to remove guns from the hands of repeat offenders along the Alabama Gulf Coast.