United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced that Styles G. Sechrist (age: 20) of the Village of Neopit, Menominee Indian Reservation, was indicted for stealing forty-eight firearms from a federally licensed gun dealer and for possessing firearms as a convicted felon. If convicted, Sechrist faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The indictment alleges that on October 10, 2011, Sechrist stole forty-eight firearms from Pintsch’s Hardware Store in Oconto County during an overnight burglary. The stolen firearms included forty-five handguns, two rifles, and one shotgun. The indictment also alleges that Sechrist is a convicted felon and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.

The case was investigated by the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department, the Menominee Tribal Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Sechrist was arrested on October 19, 2011, by the Menominee Tribal Police. One of the handguns was recovered at the time of Sechrist’s arrest. The remaining firearms have not been recovered.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Funnell of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Green Bay Division.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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