Tyler Medicine Horse, Sawed-Off Shotgun, Wyoming 2023

BILLINGS, MT – Tyler Dale Medicine Horse, 38, of Gillette, Wyoming, is headed to federal prison after admitting to possessing an illegal and dangerous sawed-off shotgun. The case unfolded following a high-speed chase on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in November 2021, culminating in a crash and the discovery of the weapon.

Bureau of Indian Affairs officers first attempted to pull over a van driven by Medicine Horse after receiving reports of reckless speeding toward Lame Deer. Instead of complying, Medicine Horse floored it, leading officers on a brief pursuit before ultimately losing control and crashing the vehicle. The incident didn’t end there; a blood draw revealed Medicine Horse was driving under the influence of both alcohol and methamphetamine.

A search of the wrecked van yielded the prohibited firearm: a sawed-off shotgun boasting a mere 6.5-inch barrel and an overall length of just 18 inches. The weapon wasn’t registered, adding another layer of illegality to Medicine Horse’s possession. Investigators quickly uncovered that this wasn’t his first brush with the law. Medicine Horse was already a convicted felon, barred from owning firearms due to a prior federal conviction for sexual abuse of a minor.

Facing the evidence, Medicine Horse pleaded guilty in December 2022 to both being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing an unregistered firearm. The plea didn’t offer much leniency, as U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters handed down a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Following his release, Medicine Horse will be subject to three years of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek led the prosecution, building the case with crucial investigative work from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The ATF Denver Field Division played a key role in tracing the illegal weapon and building a solid case against Medicine Horse. The full weight of federal law came down hard on a man already facing a serious criminal history.

U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, speaking from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana, emphasized the seriousness of the charges. The sentence serves as a clear message: possessing illegal firearms, especially with a prior felony record, will not be tolerated and will result in significant federal prison time. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, like many rural areas, faces challenges with illegal firearms, and this case represents a successful effort to remove a dangerous weapon and a dangerous individual from the streets.

Related Federal Cases