Father is given 10-year term

By Times Staff Writer
Published September 25, 2007

TAMPA - A man whose toddler shot and killed himself with a gun he found stashed in his dad's couch received a federal prison sentence Monday of 10 years and 8 months for illegally having firearms and drugs in his home.

Timothy Jerome Addison, 38, of Tampa signed a plea agreement on the charges in June. Police found marijuana and a safe filled with guns at Addison's home in November when they arrived to investigate the death of his 2-year-old son Timberlan Addison.

Addison was never charged in his son's death.

Timberlan found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun in the cushions of his father's couch and shot himself once in the chest, Addison told police. He rushed his bleeding son across the street to a neighbor who then called 911.

When officers arrived at Addison's home, they smelled marijuana and conducted a search. They found 5 pounds of marijuana, the 9mm gun, a Glock semiautomatic pistol and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, including ammunition for an assault rifle.

Addison has been arrested several times by state law enforcement since 1987, records show. He spent time in prison after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine. Other arrests on his record include charges of carrying a concealed firearm, aggravated battery and domestic violence, and a 20-year-old charge of child abuse that was dismissed.

The boy's mother and her family have said that Addison loved his son and they accepted his death as a tragic accident.

[Last modified September 24, 2007, 23:38:19]