A 32-year-old man from Boutte, Louisiana, was handed a decade-long prison sentence for crimes including firearm possession as a felon and narcotics offenses, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans reported on December 5. Brandon D. Hill, the convict, faced the music at the U.S. District Court where Judge Barry W. Ashe laid down the terms of his ten-year incarceration followed by an additional three-year supervised release for all charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Back on March 8, 2023, when Hill was approached by the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s deputies over a probation violation warrant he attempted a futile escape on foot and in the process, tried to discard two plastic bags from his pocket, the deputies recovered the bags but also discovered and seized a loaded Canik semi-automatic pistol tucked in his waistband, Hill also had a digital scale and four clear plastic bags on him, one filled with about 3.78 grams of fentanyl, another with marijuana, and others containing cocaine hydrochloride and cocaine base, the sheriffs' encounter with Hill evidently yielding a jackpot of illicit findings.
The case, integral to the nationwide Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, aims at bringing down gun violence and fostering safer communities; this prosecution is part of a larger effort that has been reinforced since May 26, 2021, as part of an updated violent crime reduction strategy by the Department. The multi-disciplinary approach is bolstered by collaborations with community organizations and focused law enforcement efforts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement.
In response to Hill's ten-year sentence and three-year supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office emphasized the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies, including the ATF New Orleans Field Division and local sheriff's offices. The office also acknowledged Matthew R. Payne, Assistant U.S. Attorney of the Financial Crimes Unit, for his role in managing the case.
