Casey Wallace Leider, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Montana 2022

Hardin Man Sentenced for Gun Possession

BILLINGS, Montana — A Hardin man with felony convictions was sentenced to 21 months in prison for possessing a firearm, according to authorities.

Casey Wallace Leider, 32, pleaded guilty in February to felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over the case.

The federal sentence is in addition to a 16-month sentence the Crow Tribal Court imposed on Leider for conviction for conduct from the same incident.

On July 15, 2021, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office deputies pursued a stolen Ford F-350 truck driven by Leider from the Lockwood area and onto the Crow Indian Reservation after a high-speed chase. The Bureau of Indian Affairs authorized the deputies to continue the chase onto the reservation. The pursuit involved police vehicles and a helicopter. The pursuit eventually ended near Pryor when the truck left the roadway and broke down in a field.

Law enforcement arrested Leider, who told a deputy that he was high. Inside the truck was a pistol in plain sight. Leider had two felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence across the country.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/hardin-felon-sentenced-prison-illegal-possession-gun