EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Evansville man will serve time in federal prison after he was found guilty of trafficking methamphetamine and gun crimes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana says Nathaniel Jacobs Sr. was found guilty on June 2 of unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and witness tampering.

The charges stem from an investigation into an accidental shooting. Court documents indicate Jacobs was admitted to a local hospital after he told officers he accidentally shot himself in the hand with one of the three guns he had at home.

The issue was, that Jacobs is prohibited from possessing firearms due to numerous felony convictions. The office says this includes multiple crimes of violence.

Police searched his home and found three handguns, ammo, and approximately seven grams of methamphetamine that has been divided into smaller amounts and prepackaged in plastic bags for easy distribution.

Jacobs managed to get himself into even more trouble when the office said Jacobs contacted a material witness on several occasions after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. During those calls, he told the witness that she was under criminal investigation for shooting him in the hand, and the two of them needed to get married to legally protect themselves.

The office said Jacobs believed that his marriage to the witness would prevent her from testifying against him at trial. He told the witness that they could get divorced after the case concluded.

Jacobs was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.