SNYDER, TX – Bradley Lynn Bishop, 46, of Midland, is facing a decade behind bars after being sentenced to the statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison for a brazen burglary that netted him 70 firearms. The heist targeted College Avenue Jewelry and Pawn in Snyder, leaving a gaping hole in the store’s security and a significant number of weapons unaccounted for.
The crime unfolded June 26, 2023, when law enforcement responded to the scene, discovering a meticulously planned breach. Bishop, utilizing a company vehicle – a white Dodge pickup belonging to Trend Services – cut a hole in the wall to gain entry. He didn’t just break in; he systematically disabled the alarm sensors on the rear exit, ripping out wires to avoid detection. Surveillance footage from a neighboring business captured the Dodge making three trips to and from the pawn shop, an individual visibly carrying a bag each time.
ATF agents and the Snyder Police Department quickly zeroed in on the vehicle. A license plate reader hit confirmed the truck belonged to Trend Services, and company records identified Bradley Lynn Bishop as the assigned driver on the night of the burglary. The company’s GPS tracking data placed the vehicle squarely at the scene of the crime. When officers arrived at Bishop’s residence the following day, they found the Dodge parked behind the house. As they approached, Bishop bolted, initiating a foot chase before being apprehended.
A search of the truck revealed a chilling haul: six of the stolen firearms and an electrical meter pilfered from the pawn shop. While not all 70 weapons were recovered, the evidence was enough to secure a guilty plea from Bishop in September 2023 to one count of theft of firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee. During sentencing before U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, the judge reportedly stated, “We have to bolt down everything in this courtroom, or you would steal it.”
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, praised the collaborative effort between her office and the ATF. “Solving burglaries and robberies of our Federal Firearm Licensee partners is at the top of ATF’s national priorities,” she stated. ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II added, “Mr. Bishop thought that he could act under the cover of darkness…He was wrong. Snyder and the surrounding communities are safer with Mr. Bishop off the streets.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted the case. Bishop’s 10-year sentence serves as a stark warning to those who target licensed firearm dealers and attempt to profit from the illegal flow of weapons. The investigation highlights the ATF’s commitment to tracking stolen firearms and bringing perpetrators to justice.
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