BILLINGS – A Billings man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced on Friday July 18th, to 72 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme
said. In March 2025, a federal jury found Joshua David Heafner, guilty of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The government alleged in court documents that on March 14, 2023, the
Billings Police Department received a report of a hit and run at the intersection of North 31st Street and 6th Avenue North. Officers observed an unoccupied Volkswagen Passat in the middle of
the intersection and witnesses described a man who resembled Heafner fleeing the scene on foot after the accident. Inside the car, officers saw a black pistol, some rounds of ammunition, and a
methadone bottle with Heafner’s name on it. Heafner, who had outstanding arrest warrants at the time, was located near his residence, where he ran from the police before eventually being
detained. Further investigation of the Passat revealed Heafner’s fingerprints in multiple locations on the driver’s side and on a cell phone found on the front driver’s side floorboard. Heafner was
convicted of assault on a peace officer, robbery, and assault with a weapon, all felonies, in Billings in September 2013. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Billings Police
Department.
