A Beaumont man, Demond Maurice Barnes, 46, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for unlawful firearm possession. Barnes, a previously convicted felon, admitted to possessing a semi-automatic pistol on June 15, 2023, when authorities found him incapacitated at the scene of a Port Arthur auto accident, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Barnes, a convicted felon with prior offenses for drug and firearm possession in Louisiana, was found unconscious in his Ford Mustang at the scene of a minor accident, with a firearm beneath him. "This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr., citing efforts to reduce violent crime through enforcement and community reentry initiatives, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone sentenced Barnes last Friday, after his guilty plea. The investigation was conducted by the Port Arthur Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn prosecuted the case, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
