United States of America v. Ronald Jeremy McCallister

Ronald Jeremy McCallister, 51, of Evansville, has been sentenced to 200 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, Evansville Police Department officers were called to a home in Evansville in response to a report of gunshots in the area. The officers were later advised that a woman had been shot by her ex-boyfriend, Ronald McCallister.

When officers arrived at the house, they found the woman in the backyard, near a tent, with a gunshot wound to her left ankle. The woman told officers that McCallister had been sending her suicidal messages through Facebook Messenger. After receiving the suicidal messages, she drove to the house where McCallister had been living in a tent in the backyard, hoping to offer him support. The conversation quickly escalated into an argument, at which point McCallister pulled out a gun and placed it next to the woman’s head. McCallister fired one round next to her face, and then pointed the gun at her foot and fired. He then went inside the house, leaving the woman on the ground in the backyard.

During a search of the home, officers found McCallister hiding in a bedroom. They also located McCallister’s gun, a loaded 9mm handgun.

McCallister has a lengthy criminal record, including felony convictions for domestic battery, robbery resulting in bodily injury, battery by means of a deadly weapon, and armed robbery. These previous felony convictions prohibit McCallister from ever legally possessing a firearm ever again.

“We have prioritized federal prosecution of armed domestic abusers because of the extreme danger they pose to those in their homes and the public at large,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The victim in this case will be protected from her abuser for many years, because of the excellent work of EPD, the ATF, and our federal prosecutor. This sentence should serve as a warning anyone who is involved in domestic violence and illegally armed: get rid of the guns or risk a long term in federal prison.”

“It unfortunately bears repeating that we all deserve to be safest with our closest partners, but for too many that is not the case,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute domestic abusers who possess firearms to ensure our communities are safe from these offenders.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 200 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release