(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A Colorado Springs man pled guilty to the illegal possession of unregistered firearms on Monday, March 6, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

28-year-old Dakota Ryan Halley of Colorado Springs was found guilty before Judge Daniel D. Domenico for the possession of unregistered explosive devices.

Halley will be sentenced on Thursday, May 30.

Co-defendant, Dalton David Turner, pled guilty in January 2023. Turner will be sentenced on Wednesday, April 19.

  • Colorado Springs man pleads guilty to illegal possession of 32 explosive devices
    Courtesy of United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado
  • Colorado Springs man pleads guilty to illegal possession of 32 explosive devices
    Courtesy of United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado
  • Colorado Springs man pleads guilty to illegal possession of 32 explosive devices
    Courtesy of United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado

In early May 2022, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) obtained information that the defendant, Halley, and co-defendant, Turner, were in possession of two hand grenades.

The investigation led to an undercover ATF agent arranging to purchase an explosive device from Halley. On May 12, 2022, the agent purchased a grenade and a shotgun from the defendant. Later, Halley agreed to sell additional grenades to the undercover agent. A second sale was scheduled for May 21, 2022.

Shortly before Halley was to meet the agent for the second sale, additional ATF agents witnessed Halley and Turner loading two vehicles with military-style tactical gear, including bulletproof vests and firearms.

Halley, Turner, and a woman each drove a vehicle to the location of the second sale. Halley conducted the sale alone, but Turner and the woman staged their vehicles strategically to serve as lookouts and maintained radio communication with Halley.

The defendant wore military-style tactical gear, including body armor, a firearm on his hip, and additional magazines while conducting the sale in a garage, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The undercover agent purchased six grenades from Halley.

In June 2022, Halley was arrested after a federal search warrant was executed on the apartment the defendant shared with Turner. The following items were recovered by ATF agents:

  • 32 explosive devices
  • Numerous firearms
  • More than 4,000 rounds of ammunition

These destructive devices were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) as required by law.

Halley was found guilty before Judge Daniel D. Domenico on Monday, March 6, 2023.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence in an effort to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.