Louisiana Man Found in Possession of Firearm at a High School Has Been Sentenced to Federal Prison

Louisiana – On September 14, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Montrelle D. Jones, 21, of Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty to 78 months (6 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on firearm charges. Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 26, 2022, and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm in a school zone. He pleaded guilty to the charges on March 28, 2022.

These allegations come from an event on January 14, 2022, when a Monroe Police Department officer serving off-duty security at a Neville High School basketball game on the school grounds was warned by many individuals that there was a group of boys fighting outside in front of the gym. As the off-duty officer made his way outside to break up the brawl, he noticed roughly 30 people who were agitated gathering in the gym’s foyer. The officer rushed into the foyer right away and watched Jones draw up his shirt with his left hand, revealing a Glock-style handgun with an extended magazine secured in his waistline.

The officer approached Jones, placed one hand on the weapon and the other on his shoulder, and led him to the nearest wall. He confiscated Jones’ firearm and detained him. Several people fled the entryway, according to the officer. Jones was brought to the police vehicle and secured. The gun was put into evidence and recognized as a Glock Model 17, 9mm pistol.

Jones was the subject of a court order granted in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana on June 25, 2021, prohibiting him from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner. Jones was found to be a credible threat to the physical safety of the intimate partner, and the order prohibited him from owning any firearm or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Monroe Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.