Chad Sales, 31, of Springdale, walked into a federal courtroom in Fayetteville today and walked out with a 10-year prison sentence for stealing 45 firearms from a licensed dealer — a brazen heist that triggered a multi-agency manhunt and exposed dangerous gaps in local security.
On June 13, 2017, officers with the Springdale Police Department responded to a break-in at the Springdale Armory, only to find dozens of weapons missing, including rifles, pistols, and high-capacity magazines. Surveillance footage captured Sales’ vehicle at the scene, placing him squarely in the crosshairs of investigators within hours.
Law enforcement tracked down Sales’ vehicle and executed a search that uncovered six of the stolen firearms and a suppressor — illegal accessories that amplify a weapon’s deadliness. After being Mirandized, Sales admitted to stealing guns from the armory, providing a confession that sealed his fate.
Federal prosecutors wasted no time. A grand jury indicted Sales in July 2017. By September, he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee. U.S. Attorney Duane (DAK) Kees called the crime a direct threat to public safety, stating, “These weapons could have ended up in the hands of violent criminals.”
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks handed down the maximum 120-month sentence, adding three years of supervised release, a $2,900 fine, and $1,000 in restitution. The majority of the stolen firearms were eventually recovered and returned, but the speed and scale of the theft sent shockwaves through the community.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Springdale Police Department. It was brought under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative targeting violent crime through coordinated enforcement. Sales now begins his decade-long sentence with no room for appeal.
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Key Facts
- State: Arkansas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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