Norman Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Gun Possession

A Norman man is heading to federal prison for five years after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.

Andrew Linton Sawyers, 60, of Norman, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick on June 3, 2024, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charges against Sawyers stem from an incident on October 30, 2022, when Norman Police Department (NPD) officers responded to a welfare check at an apartment.

According to public records, during the welfare check, officers learned that Sawyers had pointed a pistol at his girlfriend. Although Sawyers had left the residence before authorities arrived, he was arrested a short time later by NPD officers, who found a pistol in his waistband.

Sawyers’ criminal record includes multiple felony convictions, including Florida convictions for armed home invasion and kidnapping, and Oklahoma convictions for possession of firearms after a felony conviction and endangering others while eluding or attempting to elude a police officer.

Sawyers pleaded guilty to illegally possessing the firearm on October 23, 2023, despite his extensive criminal history. At sentencing, the government also introduced evidence that, in July 2023, Sawyers had threatened to kill a state prosecutor.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Norman Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Walters prosecuted the case under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, aimed at reducing violent crime.

Under PSN, the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN is known as “Operation 922,” which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence.

For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

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