MERIDIAN, MS – Jacquis LaShawn Houston, 27, of Meridian, Mississippi, is headed to federal prison for seven years after a desperate attempt to ditch a handgun during a routine traffic stop back in 2020 landed him in court. Houston was sentenced 84 months on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The bust unfolded on March 16, 2020, when a Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over the vehicle Houston was riding in. According to court documents, instead of cooperating, Houston tossed a loaded 9mm pistol out the window. The quick-thinking deputy recovered the weapon, and Houston’s history as a convicted felon immediately flagged the possession as a federal offense.
Federal law is clear: those with prior felony convictions are prohibited from owning or possessing any firearm. Houston’s attempt to conceal the weapon didn’t erase his criminal record, and the evidence presented in court left little room for doubt. The case was built on the recovered 9mm and Houston’s own admissions during court proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi and Joshua Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), jointly announced the sentencing. The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office provided crucial support in the initial investigation, highlighting the importance of local and federal collaboration in tackling gun crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham led the prosecution, securing the conviction and the substantial prison sentence. This case wasn’t an isolated incident, officials stressed, but part of the broader Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through focused enforcement on the most dangerous offenders and investment in community-based prevention programs.
The PSN program, officials say, targets the root causes of violence, seeking not just punishment but also lasting change. While Houston will spend the next seven years behind bars, the larger goal of PSN is to create safer communities by addressing the factors that lead individuals down a path of criminal activity. The hope is that programs connected to PSN will help prevent others from making similar mistakes and ending up in the same situation as Jacquis Houston.
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