OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - A Norman man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for setting fire to a McClain County sheriff’s deputy’s vehicles and home while the deputy and his family were inside.
29-year-old Austin Garrett Reeves was sentenced Aug. 27 by U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick to 240 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Reeves pleaded guilty earlier this year to arson in Indian Country and being a felon in possession of firearms.
The case stemmed from a burglary reported Aug. 22, 2025, at a deputy’s home in Washington, Oklahoma.
According to federal court records, the McClain County Sheriff’s Office and Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department responded after a handgun was stolen from a family vehicle at the residence. Authorities located Reeves nearby and arrested him in connection with the burglary.
He was released from the Grady County jail later that same day.
Hours later, during the early morning of Aug. 23, Reeves returned to the deputy’s home carrying a large gas can, prosecutors said. Surveillance video captured him pouring gasoline on the deputy’s personal vehicles and a sheriff’s office patrol vehicle.
Reeves then set the patrol vehicle on fire.
The flames spread from the patrol vehicle to the other vehicles and eventually reached the deputy’s home. The deputy and members of his family were inside as the residence caught fire, but everyone escaped without injury.
Reeves was burned in the fire before fleeing the property, according to federal prosecutors.
Law enforcement officers tracked Reeves to his Norman home later that day. He was taken into custody following a standoff. Officers noticed what prosecutors described as a significant burn on his abdomen that was consistent with his involvement in the fire.
Investigators also recovered two firearms from Reeves’ bedroom.
Reeves was prohibited from possessing firearms because of previous felony convictions in Cleveland County District Court. Court records show convictions for actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Federal prosecutors charged Reeves by superseding information Feb. 3, 2026, with arson in Indian Country and being a felon in possession of firearms. He pleaded guilty Feb. 24.
As part of his plea, Reeves admitted that he willfully and maliciously set fire to the vehicles and residence, putting the people inside the home at risk. He also admitted possessing firearms despite his felony record.
The arson case fell under federal jurisdiction because Reeves is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Wyrick described Reeves’ conduct as deeply troubling and said there was a need to protect the public from future crimes. The judge also said Reeves showed a profound lack of respect for the law and law enforcement and that his actions could have killed innocent people.
“Reeves deliberately and repeatedly targeted law enforcement that escalated to the point of intentionally setting fire to a deputy’s vehicles and home while the deputy and his family were inside, putting innocent lives in grave danger,” U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester said.
ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner said Reeves’ actions endangered both residents and law enforcement officers.
“After setting fire to an occupied home and a law enforcement vehicle, he was found in possession of firearms that he was prohibited from having,” Garner said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, McClain County Sheriff’s Office, Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Newcastle Police Department and Washington Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the District Attorney’s Office for Oklahoma’s 21st Judicial District.