Firearm found in defendant’s vehicle after car crash
LAKE CHARLES, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Lake Charles man who led police officers on a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Dane Darbonne, 29, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James D. Cain Jr. after pleading guilty on April 11, 2019, for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to information presented in court, Darbonne purchased a Savage Model 110-caliber, 30-06 rifle from an individual on Aug. 10, 2018. One day after taking possession of the firearm, Darbonne led Lake Charles police in a high-speed car chase. Darbonne crashed the car and fled the scene on foot. Officers recovered the rifle from the vehicle Darbonne was driving.
Darbonne is a felon who was previously convicted for possession of a firearm in a firearm free zone, assault by drive-by-shooting, attempted manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of cocaine. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
The ATF and the Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti 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
