A Crockett man who sprayed gunfire outside the Houston County Sheriff’s Office with an AR-15–style rifle has been ordered to serve 51 months in federal prison, capping off a case that rattled law enforcement and courthouse staff last year.
Court records identify the defendant as Clifford Heniser Jr., who investigators say walked into the sheriff’s office in March 2025, demanded documents, left, then came back with a rifle and opened fire in the parking lot, unleashing dozens of rounds.
Judge Stacks Federal Time On Top Of State Sentence
According to CBS19, the sentence was handed down in Crockett on Thursday. The judge ordered Heniser to serve a pending Trinity County state sentence consecutively to his new federal term, effectively lengthening his time behind bars. The report also notes he will be on supervised release for three years after he leaves federal prison.
Inside The March 2025 Shooting, According To Court Papers
A federal filing in the Eastern District of Texas details the March 15, 2025 incident: Heniser entered the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, demanded “federal reports,” then left, returned with a rifle and fired multiple rounds in the parking area. Investigators later counted 31 spent cartridge casings at the scene.
The filing says officers were able to disarm Heniser there and then, and seized two pistols from his person. A search of his truck turned up four rifle magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The affidavit and related materials are posted on govinfo.gov.
Felon-In-Possession Charge And Guilty Plea
A federal grand jury indicted Heniser on April 2, 2025, on a single count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He later pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
Prosecutors said the case was handled out of Beaumont and brought under federal firearms statutes enforced in the Eastern District. The guilty plea was publicly announced in August 2025 by The U.S. Attorney's Office.
Investigators, Dispatchers And A Quick Security Rethink
Local coverage and court filings state that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation alongside the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Crockett Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
During the shooting, dispatchers reportedly took cover under their desks. The sheriff’s office later shortened its public hours at the building as a security precaution, according to KTRE.
Constitutional Challenge Falls Flat
Heniser also tried to knock out the federal charge on constitutional grounds, arguing that the federal ban on firearm possession by felons was unconstitutional as applied to him. A judge rejected that argument in July 2025, according to a court memorandum.
The filings cite Heniser’s prior felony theft conviction from 2011 as the predicate offense supporting the federal possession count. The court’s reasoning is laid out in detail on govinfo.gov.
The new federal sentence resolves Heniser’s case in the Eastern District of Texas, but county-level charges tied to the March 2025 shooting remain pending, local outlets report. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the scene of the episode, is headquartered at 700 S. 4th St., Crockett, TX 75835.
