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Lamar County Man Convicted Of Federal Firearms Violations

PLANO, Texas – The Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Brit Featherson announced that the court convicted an Arthur City, Texas man of federal firearms violations. A jury found Steven Dewayne Wilson, 57, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan.

According to information presented in court, on March 8, 2017, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office members responded to a call for service in Arthur City on shots fired near a residence. Reportedly, the shooter had assaulted another person by striking them in the head with the barrel of a firearm. Law enforcement searched for Wilson, who was identified as the shooter and lived in a nearby camper. Unable to locate him, the officers left the scene, but they were called back early the following day with reports that Wilson had returned. Upon contact with Wilson, deputies noticed spent shell casings scattered in front of his camper. Wilson denied possessing any firearms.

Officers obtained a search warrant for Wilson’s camper and vehicles. During the search of Wilson’s truck, officers found a rifle shoved under the cab’s backseat and a plastic baggie of ammunition stuffed under the driver’s seat. Wilson, a convicted felon, was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm. During a subsequent interview, Wilson admitted to possessing the gun, placing it in his truck, and firing it a few days prior. However, at trial, Wilson testified that an acquaintance named “James” actually brought the firearm to Wilson’s residence and that Wilson had never actually handled the gun. Furthermore, Wilson could not provide further details about the whereabouts of “James” or any contact information for “James.”

A federal grand jury indicted Wilson on August 14, 2019. He faces up to ten years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the court will determine the sentencing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing comes after completing a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

The joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, prosecuted the case. 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 damaging crime problems in the community and develop 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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wes Wynne and Lesley Brooks.