Billings man sentenced to over 3 years in prison for possessing stolen gun

BILLINGS - A Billings man who was found with a stolen gun was sentenced Wednesday to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Dalton Cole Hilliard, 28, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a stolen firearm.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Hilliard was found with a stolen gun after he and a partner were spotted in a Heights neighborhood where police were investigating a string of thefts on Dec. 7, 2025. Hilliard was on probation with the Montana Department of Corrections for a previous felony conviction and was wearing a GPS monitor. When investigators tracked the location history of the monitor it showed that Hilliard had been at multiple locations in the Heights and on the same street as one of the thefts.

Billings police visited Hilliard, speaking to him outside his home. He acknowledged to officers that he and his associate had gone through the Heights and stolen numerous items, including a handgun which Hilliard said was in his truck. Officers searched the truck with a warrant and found the gun, along with numerous driver's licenses, social security cards, vehicle keys, and other stolen items. Officers also learned the truck had been stolen. With a warrant, law enforcement searched Hilliard's home, where they found a loaded 10 mm magazine for the stolen firearm.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and ATF conducted the investigation.