New Mexico man sentenced in eastern Idaho after standoff with Bannock County deputies

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The following is a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice for the District of Idaho.
POCATELLO – A New Mexico man was sentenced in Idaho to 71 months in federal prison for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
According to court records, Jason Richard Sandoval, 46, of Albuquerque, was contacted by Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies on May 7, 2020, near Yoxall Road in Downey. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call that Sandoval was claiming to have a bomb and acting erratically. Deputies attempted to contact Sandoval, who barricaded himself in a nearby pumphouse. He fired a gun during the standoff with law enforcement.
Sandoval eventually surrendered himself to authorities. Deputies recovered ammunition and what appeared to be a personally made firearm, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” in Sandoval’s possession. Sandoval had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
In addition to his prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Sandoval to serve three years of supervised release. Sandoval pleaded guilty to the charge on May 11.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which led to charges.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 188 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 41 have been indicted on prohibited possession of firearms or ammunition charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,857 months (approximately 655 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.09 (4.42 years). Defendants indicted for offenses involving firearms or ammunition serve, on average, approximately 42.13 months (3.5 years) in federal prison.
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Source: eastidahonews.com