MONROE, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Monroe felon pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing two handguns, multiple rounds of ammunition and a large capacity drum magazine.
Kendrick Darnell Williams, 21, of Monroe, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. When Monroe police officers stopped a car on Oct. 17, 2017 for a traffic violation, Kendrick Williams jumped out of the passenger door and ran. Officers caught Williams and brought him back to the scene where they searched the car and found a loaded Ruger.357-caliber revolver and a loaded Smith & Wesson.9 mm-caliber pistol in a natural void behind the glove compartment. They also found a 60-round Magpul drum-style magazine in the back seat, and one round of.45-caliber ammunition, one round of.380 caliber ammunition and eight rounds of.40 caliber ammunition in the trunk. When officers checked the status of the firearms, the Smith & Wesson pistol came back stolen. Williams admitted to handling the Smith & Wesson pistol before police stopped the vehicle.
Williams is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm. Williams pleaded guilty to aggravated second-degree battery in Ouachita Parish on April 26, 2012. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.
Williams faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Judge Doughty set the sentencing date for May 1, 2019.
The ATF, Ouachita Parish Metro Narcotics Unit, and the Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike O’Mara is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
