VALENTINE, Neb. - A 25-year-old Rosebud man has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of possessing a stolen AR-15 taken from a Valentine store.

Jeremiah Picotte was sentenced to a maximum of four years in prison, with a minimum of two years, for possessing or receiving a stolen firearm.

According to an arrest affidavit, Valentine Police were called to Tooth and Whiskers Outdoors/Wright’s Bait Shop on Dec. 13, 2023 after the store owner reported the firearm stolen. A store employee, who did not witness the theft, later reviewed surveillance footage and saw Picotte take the AR-15 from a display area, conceal it in his pants, and leave the store.

Courtesy: Tooth and Whisker Outdoors Facebook
Courtesy: Tooth and Whisker Outdoors Facebook Courtesy: Tooth and Whisker Outdoors Facebook

 

Police posted an image from the footage to identify the suspect, and multiple responses identified him as Picotte. That evening, Rosebud Police notified Valentine authorities that officers had recovered the stolen AR-15, though the Barrage scope attached to the weapon was missing and never recovered.

Courtesy: Tooth and Whisker Outdoors Facebook page
Courtesy: Tooth and Whisker Outdoors Facebook page  

 

As previously reported by News Channel Nebraska, Picotte was also sentenced in U.S. District Court for transporting the stolen firearm from Nebraska to South Dakota. On June 24, 2024, he was sentenced to approximately five months in federal detention, followed by three months of home confinement and two years of supervised release.