Thompson Falls, MT – A Thompson Falls man is facing serious federal charges after authorities discovered he was illegally possessing firearms. James Vernon Day, Jr., 55, appeared in federal court in Missoula on May 2nd, pleading not guilty to charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm. If convicted on the most serious charge, Day could spend up to 15 years behind bars, alongside a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He remains detained as the case proceeds.
The case, investigated by a joint task force including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, highlights the ongoing effort to keep weapons out of the hands of individuals legally barred from owning them. Details regarding the specifics of how authorities came to suspect and ultimately charge Day remain scarce.
Elsewhere in Montana, Dalton Michael Williams, 22, of Billings, also pleaded not guilty on April 30th to a charge of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He faces the same potential sentence as Day – 15 years, $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release – but was released pending further court proceedings. The investigation in this case was a collaborative effort between the ATF and the Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office.
Belgrade resident Isaac James Cardona, 45, found himself in similar straits, arraigned on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition on May 2nd. Like Day, Cardona pleaded not guilty and was detained. The ATF, alongside the Belgrade Police Department, spearheaded the investigation. A fourth defendant, John Michael Hadler, 37, of Billings, faced the same charges and was also detained after his May 29th arraignment, the result of a joint investigation by the ATF and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
Adding another layer to the week’s proceedings, Oscar Enrique Ruiz Rojas, 25, of Gallatin Gateway, appeared on a criminal complaint, charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. He also faces a potential maximum sentence of 15 years, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release, and was detained pending further legal action. This case was investigated jointly by the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration, suggesting a potential connection to other criminal activity.
Federal authorities urge anyone with information regarding illegal firearms activity to contact the ATF or their local law enforcement agencies. Court documents related to these cases, including PACER case references (24-23, 23-153, 24-11, 24-24, and 24-53), are publicly available. Interested parties can monitor the progress of these cases through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system at http://www.pacer.gov/register.html or access the District Court’s calendar at https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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