A Deer Lodge resident, Christopher Allen Rochon, was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm. The sentencing took place in Missoula with U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presiding.
Rochon, 42, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, he had previously been convicted on June 17, 2022, for criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute in Powell County and received a six-year sentence from the Montana Department of Corrections, with four years suspended.
Law enforcement stopped Rochon's vehicle outside Anaconda on April 20, 2024, for a traffic violation. During a probation search of the vehicle, officers found a backpack containing a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a box with 45 rounds of ammunition. Rochon admitted that he had used the firearm before.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Anaconda Police Department, and State of Montana Probation and Parole Office.
"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
