Methamphetamine user convicted of possessing firearm sentenced to prison

BILLINGS – A methamphetamine user who admitted to brandishing a firearm at two individuals was sentenced today to 32 months in prison and to three years of supervised release, U.S. Acting Attorney Leif Johnson said.

Kenneth John Howard, 30, of Billings, pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2020 to possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance as charged in an indictment.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that from July to October of 2019 Howard possessed a firearm on three occasions while using a controlled substance.  The most recent of these instances occurred on Oct. 15, 2019, when officers responded to the Sleep Inn in Billings for a report of an individual brandishing a firearm. Two witnesses reported they were leaving the hotel when Howard motioned them over, pulled a black handgun from a bag, showed it to them, and began using derogatory language. Howard then walked away and entered a room at the hotel. Officers located the gun, a semi-automatic pistol with 11 live rounds of ammunition, in a vehicle.

Howard initially denied having a gun but later admitted to officers he brandished the gun in front of the two witnesses.  Howard acknowledged he was a regular meth user and that he was coming down from using when he displayed the firearm.  Another witness confirmed Howard was a regular meth user and that he previously brandished the firearm to other individuals on July 16 and August 29.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla Painter prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Through Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Montana is working to enhance coordination of its federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. In addition, Project Guardian supports information sharing and taking action when individuals are denied a firearm purchase by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for mental health reasons or because they are a prohibited person.

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