TULSA, OKLA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

TULSA, Okla. – An Oklahoma man was sentenced today for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Christopher Allen Thetford, 31, to 30 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

In April 2024, Broken Arrow Police officers observed a vehicle with a smashed windshield pull into a hotel parking lot, in an area known for high crime and illicit drugs. When the vehicle left the hotel, officers pulled it over. When officers approached the vehicle, they could smell marijuana, and Thetford was in the passenger seat. An officer asked Thetford if there was a firearm in the vehicle, and he said no.

After Thetford got out of the vehicle, officers found a baggie with methamphetamine in his pants. When officers searched the vehicle, they found more bags of methamphetamine and a firearm under the passenger seat where Thetford was sitting.

Court records show that Thetford has prior felony convictions in Missouri and Oklahoma. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The Broken Arrow Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dowdell prosecuted the case.

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.