A Tillamook, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison for stealing 15 firearms from a sporting goods store in Tillamook while on post-prison supervision. Robert Jon Gilliam, 52, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. Gilliam was also ordered to pay $8,892 in restitution the insurance company who covered the sporting goods store’s losses.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of May 8, 2020, Tillamook Police Department officers responded to a burglary at Tillamook Sporting Goods, a federal firearm licensee. A male caller saw a male run from the store, get into a green Subaru driven by a female, and drive away. A short time later, the female drove back into the parking lot and parked, but the male passenger was not in the car. The caller then watched as the male ran from the front of the store, again jumped into the vehicle, and drove away.
On scene, police found the front glass doors of the store and several glass firearm display cases inside the store shattered. Officers observed blood near the broken glass and collected it for analysis. The store’s surveillance video was not operable during the time of the burglary and the store’s alarm was not triggered until police were in the building. On June 4, 2020, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies recovered one of the stolen firearms while executing a search warrant. Three days, later, on June 7, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant on Gilliam’s Tillamook residence.
Officers observed a green Subaru parked outside with dried blood on the inside of the front passenger door and on the car’s exterior. Investigators submitted the blood sample from the store to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab. Forensic scientists matched the sample to a known blood sample taken from Gilliam. On October 6, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Gilliam with stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On July 2, 2021, Gilliam pleaded guilty to both charges.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Tillamook Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and Oregon State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah K. Bolstad prosecuted the case.
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