A 37-year-old convicted felon from Marion County who was allegedly loitering outside a local bar is facing felony charges after he was accused of being in possession of a stolen gun.
On Wednesday, May 29, at around 11:35 p.m., two Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Pig Pen Saloon located at 20650 NE 160th Avenue Road in Fort McCoy in reference to a suspicious man loitering near the business.
The owner of the business had informed the sheriff’s office that a shirtless man who was “covered in tattoos” was lingering around the incident location, which was in the process of being remodeled. The man, later identified as Roy Alex Bebee, had been on the premises for around an hour and appeared to be holding a “black weapon” in his hand, according to the arrest report.
Prior to the deputies arriving on scene, the MCSO Air One unit spotted Bebee in the corner of the dock area at the incident location. The report stated that Bebee waved at the helicopter before walking across the street from the business and into a wooded area.
Bebee was then observed crouching down near a tree before returning to the incident location. Two deputies soon arrived and made contact with Bebee, who claimed that he had received permission from “the person who is remodeling the business” to “hang around” there, according to the report.
One of the deputies noted in the report that Bebee admitted to being at the incident location for approximately one hour. He also claimed that during that time, he thought “someone was shooting at him” or he “heard fireworks.”
The report stated that a spent 9mm shell casing was found in the area where Bebee was located. In addition, the deputies located a black Taurus 9mm pistol in the nearby wooded area where Bebee had been observed crouching by the aviation unit.
A search of the pistol’s serial number revealed that it had been reported as stolen in Marion County on October 11, 2022. The report stated that the firearm had been stolen from the center console of the victim’s vehicle.
A criminal history search of Bebee revealed that he has a prior felony conviction in Marion County for dealing in stolen property.
After being read his Miranda rights, Bebee denied any knowledge of the firearm. He also claimed that he never walked across the street into the nearby woods.
Bebee was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $15,000 bond. He is being charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, using or displaying a firearm during the commission of a felony, and grand theft of a firearm.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, according to jail records.