Oregon Felon Gets 24 Months in Federal Prison After Officers Track Him Through Snow to an Abandoned Assault Rifle

DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. — 38-year-old Cody Joe Hunt, a convicted felon from Bend, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison yesterday following an incident on February 13, 2025, when U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers responded to gunfire in the Deschutes National Forest near China Hat Road.

Court documents indicate that law enforcement officers who responded to gunfire in the Deschutes National Forest arrived to find Hunt fleeing into the woods in February last year, leaving behind an assault rifle and shell casings. After tracking him through the snow, they found ammunition in his pockets matching the assault rifle.

Hunt was arrested on separate charges, and a search warrant for his devices revealed additional evidence that he had purchased the rifle that was found in the woods at a local firearm dealer in the preceding weeks. Hunt is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

On September 18, 2025, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a two-count superseding indictment charging Hunt with felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Hunt pleaded guilty to counts one and two on November 18.

Hunt was sentenced to federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.