Mills Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm
A Mills man who shot himself in the leg before his arrest last year will spend more than two years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the sentence handed down in federal court in Casper on Wednesday.
Shawn Thomas Borne, 42, heard the 32-month punishment from Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl.
The judge also ordered Borne to three years of supervised probation after his release from custody during which he must obtain mental health treatment, comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, complete a high school equivalency program, and comply with other requirements.
Natrona County District Court records say Borne has convictions for felony possession of methamphetamine.
This case began late April 12, 2022, when the Evansville Police Department was dispatched to the Super 8 Motel on Luker Lane for a report of a male who just shot himself in the leg, according to an affidavit by a law enforcement officer filed in Natrona County Circuit Court.
The officer learned that the male was Borne, was fleeing the area in a white vehicle and lived in Mills.
The officer parked his patrol car near Borne's residence in Mills and saw a white sedan drive by.
The officer began pursuing him, activated the patrol car's lights, and began driving west through Mills. Borne's sedan reached speeds between 60 mph and 80 mph in 20 mph and 30 mph zones.
The sedan lost control at a slight bend in the road near Poison Spider and Keyhole Technologies, left the pavement, flipped and landed on its roof.
Borne stumbled out of the sedan, the officer approached him, ordered him on the ground, placed him in custody and searched him.
The officer found a loaded 9mm handgun in Borne's right front jacket pocket, and also saw he had a lot of blood covering his left leg pants and shoe.
"When asked about the injury, Shawn stated that he had just shot himself while in Evansville and was in immense pain," the affidavit says.
An ambulance took Borne to the hospital's emergency room for treatment.
The officer was waiting for a tow truck when he saw an AR-15-style rifle at the rear of the sedan that apparently had fallen when it flipped.
The officer then went to the hospital where Borne already had been read his Miranda rights and agreed to talk.
Borne told the officer he shot himself with the rifle, which he bought a couple of months before.
He also said he was holding the pistol for his sister.
Borne admitted he knew he was a convicted felon and should not have any guns, according to the affidavit.
"After shooting himself, Shawn state that he was heading home to his address in Mills at ... St. when he noticed myself parked near his house," the affidavit says.
"Shawn went on to say that he did not want to stop for me because he had shot himself and was not thinking right."