Samuel E. Sallee, Firearms Possession, Indiana 2013

A Bartholomew County man is behind bars after being charged with illegally possessing a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

Samuel E. Sallee, 55, was taken into federal custody by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after a search warrant was executed at his residence on May 14, 2013. The warrant was issued after an indictment was returned on May 14, 2013, alleging that Sallee had possessed a Ruger, Model 10/22 .22 caliber rifle, serial number 157425.

Due to his prior felony convictions, including intimidation in Jennings County in 2005 and driving while intoxicated in Bartholomew County in 1989, Sallee is not legally permitted to possess a firearm. He also has additional charges related to the use of controlled substances.

The investigation, which was a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service, revealed that Sallee had been present at a Bartholomew County residence on May 11, 2013, where four victims (three male, one female) were found deceased. Investigators allege that Sallee had been attempting to trade one of the victims a .22 caliber rifle for some quantity of methamphetamine.

During the search of a detached garage at Sallee’s residence, law enforcement allegedly located the Ruger .22 caliber rifle, as well as additional evidence, including several pieces of jewelry that have been identified as having belonged to the female victim.

Sallee had previously been held in the Brown County jail on unrelated state charges, but had a ‘hold’ placed on him as a result of the federal indictment. Upon his scheduled release this morning, Sallee was taken into federal custody by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and transported to Indianapolis for an initial appearance.

This prosecution comes as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Violent Crime Initiative, which was announced in March 2011. The initiative is a district-wide strategy to work with local law enforcement and county prosecutors to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities.

Sallee faces up to 10 years in federal prison if he is convicted of the charges against him. A criminal complaint or an indictment are only charges and are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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