Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

JACKSON, Miss. — A Meridian man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Jacquis LaShawn Houston, 27, was found in possession of a firearm by a Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy on March 16, 2020, during a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Houston was riding as a passenger. Houston threw a 9mm caliber pistol from the vehicle. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Houston to possess any firearm.

Houston will be sentenced on Feb. 28, 2024 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops 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.

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