The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma has announced that two Sallisaw residents have been sentenced on federal firearm charges.

Terry J. Dunnavent, 39, was sentenced to 76 months imprisonment for illegally possessing a firearm, while Bobby L. Sanders, 64, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Dunnavent’s charge arose from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Sanders’ was investigated by the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On Jan. 4, Dunnavent pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. According to investigators, on Jan. 3, 2023, Sallisaw Police discovered Dunnavent in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol after he attempted to evade a routine traffic stop, crashed his vehicle, ran from the crash site, and officers gave chase.

At the time of the offense, Dunnavent knowingly possessed the firearm despite having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

On Nov. 1, 2023, Sanders pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. On April 13, 2023, law enforcement discovered Sanders in possession of one .40 S&W caliber semi-automatic pistol and two rounds of ammunition during the execution of search warrant at a home in Sallisaw.

At the time of the offense, Sanders had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and knew of such conviction.

Both of these cases are 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.

D unnavent and Sanders both will remain in the custody of U.S. Marshals pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.