EUGENE, Ore. (Mar. 3, 2026) — A Bend man was sentenced to two years in federal prison Tuesday after admitting to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition following a gunfire incident in the Deschutes National Forest.
Cody Joe Hunt, 38, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 24 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Feb. 13, 2025, law enforcement officers with the U.S. Forest Service responded to reports of gunfire in the Deschutes National Forest near China Hat Road. When officers arrived, they found Hunt fleeing into the woods, leaving behind an assault rifle and shell casings.
Officers tracked Hunt through the snow and located ammunition in his pockets that matched the rifle recovered at the scene. He was arrested on separate charges.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Hunt’s electronic devices and found additional evidence indicating he had possessed the rifle in the weeks leading up to the incident. Court records show Hunt had participated in the firearm’s purchase at a local dealer.
Hunt is a convicted felon and prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On Sept. 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. He pleaded guilty to both counts on Nov. 18, 2025.
The U.S. Forest Service investigated the case with assistance from the Deschutes County Digital Forensics Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren prosecuted the case.
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