Felon in Possession of Pistol Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

EUGENE, Ore. – Steven Lee Simmons, 37, a resident of Harney County, Oregon, was sentenced on Monday, June 27, 2016, to four years in prison by U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, specifically a .22 caliber pistol.  Simmons pled guilty on March 28, 2016. 

On July 13, 2015, employees working at a bar in Burns, Oregon called 911 when Simmons arrived at the bar with a loaded pistol tucked in his waistband and repeatedly announced his threat to kill a man who had assaulted his girlfriend.  Before Harney County deputies arrived, Simmons left the bar with his stepmother and with the pistol still in his possession.  The stepmother took the pistol from Simmons and he was arrested shortly thereafter.  Deputies later retrieved the pistol along with 500 rounds of ammunition.

At the time of his arrest, Simmons had 23 prior convictions and was on state probation.  His 11 felony convictions included robbery, burglary, an attempt to elude police, two thefts, two unauthorized use of cars, escape, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of firearms.  Simmons also had 17 misdemeanor convictions, including several assaults.

Judge McShane referred to Simmons’ extensive criminal history and risk to reoffend before imposing the four-year prison term and a three-year term of supervision after he is released from prison.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Harney County Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank R. Papagni, Jr., with the assistance of Harney County District Attorney Tim Colahan.