A Quemado man pleaded guilty on Apr. 13 to a federal firearm offense after law enforcement seized multiple firearms and ammunition from his property during a search in 2024.
The case highlights the consequences for convicted felons found in possession of firearms, which is prohibited under federal law. The plea follows an investigation into residential burglaries that led authorities to Chad Walter Gash, age 43.
According to court documents, the Catron County Sheriff’s Office identified Gash as a person of interest in April 2024. Investigators determined that Gash had been previously convicted in Texas in 2014 for manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance and completed his sentence in October 2019. As a result of this conviction, he was not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.
Neighbors reported frequent gunfire coming from Gash’s property and said he had several firearms there. On April 30, officers executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered thirteen firearms and ammunition from both his bedroom and an associated travel trailer. Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also found during the search. Among the weapons seized were an unregistered short-barreled shotgun and a destructive device.
Gash pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and now faces up to fifteen years in prison when sentenced. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the plea agreement.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated with help from the Catron County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Dickens and Benjamin Suslavich are prosecuting.
