Great Falls Felon Gets 16 Months in Prison for Gun Threat at Hotel

GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls convicted felon was sentenced to 16 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm following an incident at a local hotel last year.

Montana Lee Covington, 21, pleaded guilty in May to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the sentencing, which also included three years of supervised release.

The case stems from a June 1, 2024, incident at the Grizzly Inn where Great Falls Police responded to reports of someone threatening another person with a gun.

When officers arrived, they found Covington in the passenger seat of a Jeep in the parking lot. Initially giving police a false name, Covington was found with a rifle and 110 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition.

The victim told officers that Covington had threatened to shoot her and that she had seen him sitting in the passenger seat loading a magazine with bullets. The Jeep’s driver corroborated the victim’s account.

“Covington denied threatening Doe with a gun but admitted telling her he had guns in the car,” according to court documents.

Covington was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous felony theft conviction in Montana state court, for which he received a four-year suspended sentence. His probation conditions specifically prohibited him from possessing firearms and ammunition.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Great Falls Police Department.

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program bringing together law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime and gun violence in communities.