Watertown Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession
- Steve Jurrens
- 20 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - A 26-year-old Watertown, South Dakota man has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today.
Kyle Ashton Carpenter was sentenced on May 18, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann to a term of 12 months in custody. Because Carpenter has been held in custody since his initial arrest in May 2025, he has already served the required 12-month custodial term. Following his release, Carpenter will serve three years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documentation, authorities discovered Carpenter in possession of a handgun following an incident in early May 2025. Under federal law, Carpenter is strictly prohibited from owning, possessing, or carrying firearms due to a prior felony conviction for assaulting a law enforcement officer. Federal officials noted that despite being fully aware of his legal prohibition, Carpenter intentionally purchased the handgun and used it at a firing range. The weapon was seized by law enforcement during the investigation and will be officially forfeited to the government.
Carpenter’s legal proceedings began with an indictment by a federal grand jury in August 2025, culminating in a guilty plea entered on October 8, 2025. Immediately following the conclusion of his sentencing hearing, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case forms part of Operation Take Back America, a comprehensive nationwide Department of Justice initiative. The strategy deploys the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat violent crime, secure communities, repel illegal immigration, and eliminate drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).
The operation integrates and streamlines enforcement resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Through Project Safe Neighborhoods, the District of South Dakota continues its efforts to coordinate multiple tiers of law enforcement and local communities to reduce gun violence and improve neighborhood safety across the state.
The underlying investigation was spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
