Multi-State Felon Gets More Than Four Years for Possessing Firearms

A man whose residences included Kaycee, Utah and Colorado was recently sentenced to four years, three months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to federal court records, Johnson County records and the Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office.

Wesley Ray Richardson, 59, who was arrested in Kaycee, heard the sentence handed down from U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne on June 16.

Johnson also ordered Richardson to serve three years of supervised probation after his release from custody, pay a $100 special assessment, and after his release from custody disclose his domestic violence history and successfully complete an anger management program.

The federal sentence will be served concurrently with a sentence in the Fourth Judicial District of Wyoming, which includes Johnson and Sheridan counties.

Richardson has an extensive criminal history, including a series of burglaries that led to the federal firearms case in October.

Richardson allegedly committed aggravated burglary by taking guns -- punishable by between five and 25 years imprisonment -- from a camper at the Powder River Campground in Kaycee, according to Wyoming District Court records.

Richardson also allegedly stole the bed of a Toyota Tundra, allegedly burglarized a storage shed and a catering trailer of a bar in Kaycee, and allegedly violated a protection order and interfered with a peace officer.

Wyoming District Court records also say Richardson waived extradition to Utah on Oct. 31 for a series of burglaries, and waived extradition to Colorado on Nov. 1 for alleged crimes including burglary, stalking, harassment and assault.

The Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release that on Oct. 21 a person contacted the Johnson County Dispatch Center to report a backpack had been stolen from his car.

Law enforcement suspected Richardson, who had two outstanding burglary warrants.

After being arrested, Richardson substantively admitted to his behavior and guided deputies to the stolen property at his residence in Kaycee, including four firearms.

On Jan. 11, the federal grand jury handed up the indictment, which said he had previously been convicted of a felony and possessed an Aero Precision Model A15 .223/5.56-caliber rifle, a Ruger Model M77 .308-caliber rifle, a Savage Arm Model 110 .270-caliber rifle, and a Thompson/Center Model TCR22 .22-caliber rifle.

Richardson was arrested on the federal warrant on Jan. 25.

He initially pleaded not guilty on Feb. 8, but changed his plea to guilty on March 13.

The crime was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Coppom.