Lafayette Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gun Possession

Jarius T. Carson, 26, of Lafayette, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Monday to illegally possessing a loaded semi-automatic pistol, following a 2018 foot chase that ended with the weapon stashed in a vehicle’s wheel well. The plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays, marks the latest fallout from a criminal past that bars Carson from owning any firearm under federal law.

On June 6, 2018, a deputy with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office approached Carson in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Scott, Louisiana. Without warning, Carson took off running. As the deputy pursued, he watched Carson dart toward a parked car and drop an object into the wheel well. Moments later, Carson was apprehended and admitted the item was his — a loaded Cobra .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Carson’s criminal record sealed his fate under federal gun laws. On August 17, 2010, he was convicted in state court for aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal carrying of a weapon. Those convictions make him a felon in possession, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. Federal prosecutors Danny Siefker and Dominic Rossetti are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, underscoring the aggressive stance federal authorities are taking on repeat violent offenders.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 23, 2019. Judge Summerhays will determine Carson’s final punishment, but the case falls squarely within the framework of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce violent crime through targeted enforcement and local partnerships.

PSN focuses on dismantling networks of violent offenders and strengthening community-based prevention efforts. Carson’s case exemplifies the program’s reach — a fugitive with a history of armed violence caught red-handed, now facing a federal prison term for wielding deadly power he’s forbidden by law to possess.

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