Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

TYLER, Texas - A 44-year-old Wills Point, Texas, man has been sentenced to federal prison for federal firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

 Terry Dewayne Monk pleaded guilty on Sep. 16, 2014, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis.

According to information presented in court, on Mar. 14, 2014, Monk was stopped by a on a rural county road in Van Zandt County by sheriff’s deputy for an outstanding warrant. During the traffic stop, officers discovered the vehicle did not belong to Monk, but to a nearby resident.  Officers went to the home and talked to the vehicle’s owner who advised them that Monk had been staying at her home for the about a week and that she had seen him with a sawed-off shotgun.  The home-owner gave permission to search the residence.  During the search, officers located the sawed-off shotgun which had an obliterated serial number.  Further investigation revealed Monk was a convicted felon having been found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 1990 in Tarrant County, Texas.  Convicted felons are prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.  Monk was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 28, 2014. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, aimed at reducing gun and gang violence, deterring illegal possession of guns, ammunition and body armor, and improving the safety of residents in the Eastern District of Texas. Participants in the initiative include community members and organizations as well as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

 This case was investigated by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.

                ####