United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

MAN ARRESTED NEAR ANGELO STATE UNIVERSITY
WITH SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN FACES FEDERAL CHARGE

SAN ANGELO, Texas — A man who was arrested earlier this week by local law enforcement officers near Angelo State University, in San Angelo, Texas, with a sawed-off shotgun under his trench coat and 18 rounds of ammunition on his person, is now charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the San Angelo, Texas, Division of U.S. District Court, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper, of the Northern District of Texas.

Casey Paul Jurgens, 19, of San Angelo, is charged with knowingly possessing an unregistered firearm. The complaint lists the firearm as a weapon made from a Brazilian, 12-gauge single-shot shotgun, with a barrel length of approximately 15 inches and an overall length of approximately 22 inches.

Federal authorities are expected to present the case before a federal grand jury in the near future. An initial appearance will scheduled if the grand jury returns an indictment.

According to the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, on Sunday, May 6, 2007, officers with the San Angelo Police Department received a call indicating that a person believed to be Casey Paul Jurgens was spotted at the Christian Faith Center, located at 1414 North Chadbourne Street, in San Angelo. He was acting suspiciously and wearing a black, full-length trench coat with something apparently concealed beneath it. A member of the congregation approached Jurgens who then left the area.

The next day, a deputy constable with Tom Green County, saw Jurgens at 1120 W. Avenue N. in San Angelo. Again, he was wearing a trench coat, acting in a strange manner and appeared to be concealing an object beneath his right arm. Jurgens then turned from the road and entered Fairmont Cemetery. Officers followed him into the cemetery and found him hiding behind a tombstone. As officers approached him, he attempted to retrieve an object under his coat, but was unable to reach it because the coat was buttoned.

Officers discovered a modified 12-gauge shotgun, described above, attached to Jurgen’s belt by a wire so that it could hang and be easily concealed. Officers also discovered 18 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition. Jurgens was within walking distance of Angelo State University and several other schools at the time of his arrest.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the San Angelo Police Department, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, the Tom Green County Constable’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Jeffrey R. Haag of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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