Feds Arrest Casper Convicted Felon For Illegally Possessing Firearms
Federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday arrested a Casper man for being a convicted felon in possession of a shotgun and other firearms, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
Patrick Charles Schutz, 38, was taken into custody based on a warrant requested by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and executed by ATFE agents and Casper police at his home in the 1300 block of South Washington Street.
Conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised probation after release from custody.
Wyoming Acting U.S. Attorney Nick Vassallo asked the federal court to detain Schutz to make sure he appears in court and for the community's safety.
Federal court records did not indicate whether Schutz had an attorney, nor when he may appear in court to formally hear the charge against him.
The case started in late May when an ATFE agent learned that Schutz was seen with firearms at the Stuckenhoff Shooting Range, 2330 Station Road, according to an affidavit by the agent.
In June, the agent spoke went to the range and spoke with a confidential source who said Schutz had multiple firearms and came to the range with six other people in late May, according to the affidavit.
On June 2, Schutz came alone.
Schutz told the confidential source that he was a "'repo man,'" and needed a gun for that job, according to the affidavit.
On June 30, the agent obtained surveillance camera footage at the range that showed Schutz shooting some of the firearms.
The confidential source also said that Schutz entered the range twice at the end of the month using a membership card.
In August, the agent began surveilling Schutz's residence in the 1300 block of South Washington Street.
On Sept 6, saw Schutz with what appeared to be pistol in a holster on his right hip and Schutz's wife with a large black case consistent with a rife case.
Later that month, the agent received confirmation from the Wyoming State Penitentiary that Schutz was convicted of forgery, a felony, in Wyoming on Oct. 24, 2002.
On Wednesday, ATFE agents and Casper Police officers executed the search warrant at Schutz's residence where they found a Akkar Model 812 12-gauge shotgun and several other firearms, according to the ATFE agent affidavit.
According to the Wyoming Secretary of State's website, Schutz is the organizer of the American Asset Response Team (A.A.R.T.) LLC, on Sam Howell Road west of Casper.
The AART, founded in 2017, bills itself as a "Collateral Adjustment Team" specializing in repossessing vehicles and other items, and it is a "private investigative company," according to a post on Yelp.
"We pride our self on safely and effectively recovering lost assets in a speedy professional manner. Our Team looks forward to serving you," according to the Yelp post.