Eugene Man Arrested for Stalking, Discards Stolen Gun During Officer Struggle

Dustin Brady Overton, 33, was taken into custody late Sunday night after a brief physical struggle with a Eugene Police officer at a residence in the 3000 block of Barger Drive, during which Overton tossed a sling-type bag into the house containing a stolen firearm he was legally prohibited from possessing.

Officers had been investigating a stalking case involving Overton before the arrest. According to Eugene Police, Overton had stalked a person he was formerly acquainted with and threw a rock at the victim's house, breaking a window. When an officer went to the Barger Drive residence around 11:30 p.m. on March 29, Overton came to the front door. The two briefly struggled before the officer took Overton into custody.

During that encounter, Overton discarded the sling-type bag inside the house. Officers later obtained a search warrant and recovered a stolen firearm from the bag. Overton, who has a prior felony conviction, is not legally permitted to possess a firearm.

He was transported to Lane County Jail and lodged on charges including Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Theft in the First Degree, Stalking, and Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree. Jail records confirmed Overton remained in custody as of March 31.

The arrest fed into a broader stolen-firearms investigation that reached a second suspect weeks later. On March 26, a Lane County Sheriff's deputy had begun following up on a separate stolen firearm report, and the case expanded to involve a Sheriff's detective. On April 17, deputies arrested Jeffrey Allen Bragg, 54, of Eugene, on Theft in the First Degree and booked him at Lane County Jail. Detectives suspect Bragg had been stealing firearms and reselling them over an extended period, often presenting the sales as legitimate to buyers who had no reason to suspect otherwise.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office is now asking anyone who has purchased a firearm from Bragg to come forward, as those weapons may be reported stolen. Anyone with information should contact the Sheriff's Office at (541) 682-4141 and reference case #25-1802.