Billings felon admits illegally possessing rifle

BILLNGS — A Billings woman with a felony conviction admitted today to illegally possessing a rifle after fleeing law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Devin Miranda American Horse, 34, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. American Horse faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for Jan. 10, 2024 and ordered American Horse detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Feb. 5, while conducting routine night patrol, a Billings police officer saw four or five people sitting in a car outside of a residence. The officer approached the car to check out the situation. Before the officer made any contact, the driver got out and fled. The officer recognized the driver from a recent shift briefing and had had previous contact with the person. The officer chased but did not catch the driver. As he ran by the car, the officer recognized American Horse as the front seat passenger. The car fled the scene and was stopped a short time later. The only remaining occupant, who was the owner and now driver, told officers that American Horse had fled with a rifle. Police found American Horse hiding in some bushes and a rifle nearby. American Horse was arrested on a parole violation for a 2019 felony drug conviction in Yellowstone County. She was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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