Evergreen Reporter

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming will collaborate with the Fremont County Attorney’s Office to prosecute gun crimes related to domestic violence. This initiative follows the U.S. Department of Justice's designation of Fremont County, along with 78 other communities across the United States, as areas that could benefit from increased intimate partner violence resources. The local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to enhance the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA).

“The VAWA designation of Fremont County allows for a state prosecutor to serve as a Special Assistant United States Attorney who can then prosecute gun crimes in federal court,” explained Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann. “This partnership will allow for the federal prosecution of appropriate domestic violence offenders prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms. Prosecution of federal gun crimes committed by these offenders will result in significant prison sentences, which will make Fremont County safer by removing these violent offenders from the community and deterring others from unlawfully possessing or using guns.”

Fremont County Attorney Patrick LeBrun remarked, “This partnership will greatly increase options available to Fremont County law enforcement in deterring violent domestic batterers from possessing firearms and escalating levels of violence. Local law enforcement is the front line defender fighting this scourge in Fremont County. And with this designation, the option of additional prosecution resources and stricter punishment for the appropriate offender will be a telephone call away.”

The VAWA designation and partnership between the Fremont County Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, supporting the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.