Ada Resident Sentenced For Witness Tampering And Federal Firearms Violations

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Timmie Lee Runnels, age 33, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for tampering with a witness in a federal case, and 10 years for being a felon in possession of ammunition, to run concurrently.

The charges arose from investigations by the Ada Police Department, the Coal County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On April 18, 2022, Timmie Lee Runnels pleaded guilty to one count of Tampering with a Witness and one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition.

During the plea hearing, Runnels admitted that on January 5, 2021, he was involved in an altercation in Ada, Oklahoma, during which Runnels fired a gun at another vehicle.  Officers searched Runnels’ vehicle and located 41 rounds of ammunition.  Runnels was a convicted felon at the time of the incident.  The defendant also admitted that from April 2021 to September 2021, while in jail awaiting trial, he made telephone calls with the intent to keep a witness from testifying in his case.

“The defendant knowingly interfered with a federal investigation by attempting to prevent his victim from testifying,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold offenders like Mr. Runnels accountable, while ensuring victims are heard and supported.”

“The defendant, a violent felon, used a firearm and was found in possession of ammunition, then attempted to avoid prosecution by intimidating a witness,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “This type of behavior cannot—and will not—be tolerated. The twenty-year sentence imposed by the Court ensures that Runnels is off the streets and no longer a threat to the residents of the Eastern District.”

The Honorable Patrick R. Wyrick, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearings in Muskogee.  Runnels will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Zachary W. Parsons represented the United States.