A Billings man has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. Joshua David Heafner, 40, was found guilty by a federal jury in March 2025 of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over the case. Court documents revealed that on March 14, 2023, the Billings Police Department responded to a hit-and-run incident at North 31st Street and 6th Avenue North. Officers discovered an unoccupied Volkswagen Passat at the scene and witnesses reported seeing a man resembling Heafner fleeing on foot.
Inside the vehicle, police found a black pistol, ammunition, and a methadone bottle with Heafner's name. Heafner was later located near his home and attempted to evade arrest before being detained. Investigators also found his fingerprints on various parts of the car and on a cell phone inside.
Heafner has prior felony convictions for assault on a peace officer, robbery, and assault with a weapon from September 2013 in Billings.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Yerger and Julie Patten, with investigations conducted by the ATF and Billings Police Department.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
