Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Parker, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on September 15, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.

Rollin Lee Dollens, age 52, was sentenced to 3 years of probation with 8 months of house arrest, a $1,000 fine, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and forfeiture of a handgun.

Dollens was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 11, 2020. He pled guilty on September 15, 2020. The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 16, 2019, wherein Dollens, an unlawful user of methamphetamine, knowingly possessed a handgun while driving in Corson County, South Dakota.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.

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