The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula on April 8, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, CONNOR HAYDEN KRAEGEL, a 20-year-old resident of Poolsville, Maryland, appeared for sentencing. KRAEGEL was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 15 months

Special Assessment: $100

Supervised Release: 3 years

KRAEGEL was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to theft from a federal firearms licensee.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On February 8, 2010, at approximately 2:00 a.m., KRAEGEL burglarized Bob Ward and Sons Inc. sporting goods store in Bozeman. KRAEGEL broke through a back door to the store and grabbed an armload of various firearms before walking out of the store. During the burglary, KRAEGEL took 11 firearms (nine of which were recovered).

Bob Ward and Sons Inc. maintains a federal firearms license to deal in firearms, this includes buying and selling firearms. Bob Ward and Sons Inc.'s license was active on February 8, 2010, as well as before and after that date. The stolen firearms were in the business inventory of Bob Wards and Sons Inc. before KRAEGEL took them.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that KRAEGEL will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, KRAEGEL does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Montana State University Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 

 

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