Callaway restaurant owner sentenced for illegal firearm possession

A Callaway County restaurant owner has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing 21 firearms and three firearm silencers.

Billy Bush Owen, 54, of Auxvasse, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Owen to pay a fine of $3,600.

Owen, owner of Panhead Billy's BBQ in Kingdom City, admitted he possessed handguns, rifles and shotguns on Dec. 9, 2015.

Owen was being investigated by the Mustang Drug Task Force when officers executed a search warrant at his residence and found 21 firearms, three silencers and 9,337 rounds of ammunition in the residence. Three of the firearms and 3,610 rounds of ammunition were in the bedroom, and the remaining firearms and suppressors were in a safe in the garage.

Officers also seized $35,109, digital scales, a drug ledger and nearly 22 pounds of marijuana from the residence.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to possess any firearms or ammunition. Owen has prior felony convictions for transporting a controlled substance and possession of a dangerous weapon by an addict.