Billings, MT - The U.S. Marshals Service in Montana announced the arrest on July 3 of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Most Wanted fugitive on an outstanding warrant for felon in possession of a firearm.
USMS deputies arrested Michael Duane Strain, 62, without incident on a ranch near Garryowen, on the Crow Indian Reservation, about 59 miles southeast of Billings.
Strain had been wanted on a 2011 warrant for felon in possession of a firearm from the Northern District of Iowa.
ATF had listed Strain as one of its Most Wanted fugitives and that he was sought by ATF’s Kansas City Field Division.
ATF recently contacted the USMS in Montana with information that Strain was possibly in the area.
“As soon as the information was received it was transferred to our team on the ground," said U.S. Marshal for Montana Rod Ostermiller. “We were able to act on that information immediately. This is a great example of the close working relationship we have with the ATF," he said.
Strain was transported to the Big Horn County jail and had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Billings on July 5.
“This case is a perfect example of our outstanding partnership with the United States Marshals Service. We appreciate their commitment to arresting fugitives and we’ll continue to work together to protect the public," said Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Kansas City Field Division, Marino Vidoli.
A grand jury in the Northern District of Iowa indicted Strain on Oct. 19, 2011 on charges of possession of firearm as a felon. ATF subsequently turned apprehension authority over to the USMS.
The mission of U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Forces is to locate and apprehend the most violent and dangerous fugitives and to provide assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations.
