MONROE, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Michael Holder, 41, of West Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced Wednesday to 51 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Officers with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office and West Monroe Police Department conducted a traffic stop on June 9, 2017 of Holder’s vehicle and discovered that Holder had an outstanding arrest warrant from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office. As Holder was exiting the vehicle, he stated to the officers that he was sitting on a BB gun, which turned out to be a Glock, Model 17, 9mm-caliber pistol, loaded with two bullets in the magazine. The officers also found a glass smoking pipe with suspected methamphetamine in Holder’s back pocket.
Holder was convicted of aggravated flight from an officer on Jan. 12, 2015 in Ouachita Parish. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Holder pleaded guilty to the federal charges on Jan. 17, 2019.
The ATF, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, and West Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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
