Billings man sentenced for illegal firearm possession after road rage incident

BILLINGS - A Billings man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Matthew David Slemmer, 41, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on January 17, 2025, an individual called 911 and said Slemmer pulled a gun on him following an exchange in traffic. According to the caller, Slemmer pulled into a parking lot and brandished a firearm before leaving the scene.

Shortly after law enforcement arrived, Slemmer returned to the parking lot. He eventually provided a statement in which he denied brandishing a firearm but admitted he had a gun in his car. After a further exchange, Slemmer provided consent to search his vehicle and law enforcement discovered a Hi-Point Firearms, Model C9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol exactly where Slemmer said it would be located.

Almost one year before the incident in the parking lot, on March 5, 2024, a hearing was held on a petition for a Temporary Order of Protection against Slemmer. He was present at the hearing. Another hearing was set for April 1, 2024, at which point the Temporary Order became permanent. The order says Slemmer shall not "threaten to commit or commit acts of violence" or "not harass, annoy, disturb" or otherwise communicate with the petitioner, who had a child and an ongoing intimate relationship with him. The permanent order also prohibited Slemmer from possessing firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The ATF and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

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