MISSOULA- A 39-year-old Billings man was sentenced Thursday to four years in federal prison and three years supervised release for illegal possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Friday.
Joseph Wayne Waters pleaded guilty in September of possessing a gun after a felony conviction, which is illegal.
Waters was charged after a Jan. 20 incident in Bozeman, where he chased and shot a truck in the tailgate.
According to Alme, the incident started when the driver of Waters’ vehicle saw her ex-husband drive by and began pursuit. Waters was a passenger and fired a shot at the truck during the pursuit.
Law enforcement pulled over the vehicle and found three guns in Waters’ backpack during a search: a .32 caliber revolver, a 9mm pistol and a .40 caliber pistol, according to Alme.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided at sentencing.
The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime.
