Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Wyoming Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Unregistered Sawed-Off Shotgun
BILLINGS — A Wyoming man who admitted to possessing an unregistered sawed-off shotgun after an attempted traffic stop and chase on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to two and one-half years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Tyler Dale Medicine Horse, 38, of Gillette, Wyoming, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in November 2021, Bureau of Indian Affairs officers attempted a traffic stop of a van driven by Medicine Horse because of reports that the van was speeding toward Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. A BIA officer attempted to stop the van, which was speeding and swerving, but Medicine Horse fled. After a brief chase, Medicine Horse crashed. A blood draw determined that Medicine Horse had alcohol and methamphetamine in his blood. During a search of the van, officers recovered a sawed-off shotgun, with a barrel length of 6.5 inches and an overall length of 18 inches. Medicine Horse also was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous federal felony conviction for sexual abuse of a minor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and BIA.