A Gillette police officer solved a rash of gun thefts in town because he was perusing gun sales online while off duty and he noticed a pistol resembling one reported stolen, court documents say.
The 9 mm pistol had a mismatched slide, the owner told police when reporting the theft.
Matthew Eason, 19, was charged Thursday in Gillette Circuit Court with three counts of aggravated burglary (each punishable by between five and 25 years in prison and up to $50,000 in fines) and three counts of possessing a stolen gun (up to 10 years in prison and $10,000).
Different Sights
The theft call came in about 1 p.m. Nov. 3, when a man reported someone had stolen things from his 2019 Silverado truck. He was missing $40 in cash and a CZ P-09 9 mm pistol with a flashlight attachment and a holster, the man told Gillette Police Department agents at the time, according to an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
The gun had two different serial numbers: one for the frame and one for the slide, because the owner swapped slides with his brother so he could use a different set of sights that he liked better, he said.
The gun was valued at about $816. For other kinds of property, that would make the theft a misdemeanor and not a felony since it’s under the $1,000 threshold for felony theft.
But in Wyoming, it’s a felony to steal a gun, pig, buffalo, mule, sheep, horse or cow — regardless of its value.
Mere blocks away and minutes after the theft report, another person reported a Taurus pistol stolen from a Jeep, the affidavit says.
Just Scrolling
Six weeks later, Gillette Police Department Officer Cameron Henson decided to scroll MeWe while he was off-duty. That’s a social media application where people can post guns and other items for sale, the affidavit says.
Henson noticed a post to the “Gillette & NE Wyoming Sporting Goods Group” offering for sale a CZ P-09 with a flashlight attachment and holster. The description of the firearm and its accessories matched the description from the earlier theft, but only the gun was featured in the picture, the affidavit says.
The document says Henson looked through the seller’s profile and found the username was “Matt Eason,” and the man’s location was Gillette, which “raised more suspicion.”
Henson messaged the man to ask for more pictures of the products. Then he got up and went to the police station to research the user’s name and find his address, says the affidavit.
Meanwhile, the user replied to Henson’s message.
He sent photos of the gun, holster and flashlight — which matched the description of those stolen, the affidavit says, adding that the photo was so clear, Henson could even see the gun’s serial number.
Hunting
Gillette Police Department detectives applied for and received a search warrant for Eason’s home Wednesday. They found Eason and his dad both there, says the document.
The affidavit says GPD Detective Brian Roesner asked Eason about the gun and Eason denied knowing it was stolen, saying he got it from an acquaintance he only knew as “CJ.”
Roesner asked about the Taurus too, and Eason said he got that from CJ as well, the affidavit alleges.
Agents found both guns in the house, and saw “many other” guns in plain view, the document continues. One GPD corporal noticed a marijuana “smoking device” near the door to the bedroom. Roesner smelled burnt marijuana, says the affidavit.
The affidavit says agents also found a Smith and Wesson .38-caliber firearm that had been reported stolen, and multiple long guns that Eason couldn’t describe by caliber, age or make when questioned.
More Than Two, Fewer Than 10
Agents read Eason his Miranda warnings during the search and he agreed to talk, reportedly.
Eason said he either bought the gun from friends he couldn’t identify or from strangers on MeWe, but he later changed course and said he’d made a mistake — he’d broken into multiple vehicles and taken them, says the affidavit.
An investigator asked him how many vehicles he’d burglarized. More than two but fewer than 10, he answered, according to the document.
The narrative says Eason also admitted to stealing a Beretta 9 mm handgun, and admitted two Smith and Wesson .380 pistols were stolen, but he didn’t know from where.
Eason said he was using cocaine and “Molly,” or ecstasy, at the time of the thefts, and he wanted to sell the guns because he’d made a mistake and needed to get away from that mistake, the document says.
“(He) said he loves guns and they calm him down,” the affidavit says, adding that Eason said he was trying to make money so he could get back to Nevada.
There was one stolen gun in question that detectives couldn’t find. Eason said he may have gotten rid of it already, the document says, adding that agents seized 21 firearms altogether and are now arranging for federal traces to be run on those.
Wyoming Says Don’t Steal Guns
Stealing a gun in Wyoming is normally a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines, but if a person breaks into a vehicle or building to do it, that bumps the charge up to an aggravated burglary punishable by between five and 25 years in prison and $50,000 in fines, as in this case.
Eason’s preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 27; his bond is set for $50,000 surety.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
