Four Separate Indictments Brought Against Residents of Fairfield, Stockton, Vallejo, and Mount Shasta charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As part the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California’s strategy to reduce violent crime by focusing on firearms prosecutions, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced that a federal grand jury returned indictments today in the following cases involving firearms offenses:

Roderick Darnell Harris, 45, of Fairfield, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Oct. 19, police officers tried to stop Harris, who was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk in violation of a city ordinance. Harris disregarded the officer’s many requests to yield at first, but eventually stopped. A loaded 9 mm pistol was concealed in his jacket. Harris cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of five felony offenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. 

Fred Lavender, 44, of Stockton, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Oct. 31, Lavender was arrested for a parole violation. In the car he had been driving, police officers found a Glock Model 23 handgun. Lavender has several prior convictions – including a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence battery – which prohibit him from possessing a firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael W. Redding is prosecuting the case.

Joshua Wayne Thompson, 25, of Vallejo, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Nov. 18, Thompson had several outstanding warrants. When law enforcement officers saw Thompson in front of his home in Vallejo, they tried to apprehend him. Thompson got into a car and tried to flee, ramming a law enforcement vehicle in the process. When Thompson was arrested, he had a pistol with an extended magazine in his waistband. Thompson cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of a felony offense.

This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, Vallejo Police Department, and California Highway Patrol.

Daniel Andrew Walker, 60, of Mount Shasta, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, in April 2018, Walker filed a Petition for Certificate of Rehabilitation, seeking a court recommendation for a retroactive pardon of his prior felonies. As part of his application, Walker submitted a questionnaire in which he indicated that he did not possess any firearms. Walker has multiple felony convictions with both felony and misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence and is prohibited from possessing firearms. An ensuing investigation by the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office uncovered that Walker did in fact possess multiple firearms. In March 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Walker’s home. In total, officers seized 39 firearms, including 10 weapons without serial numbers, six short-barreled AR-style rifles, multiple shotguns and handguns, and an improvised silencer.

This case is the product of an investigation by Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Justice, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Siskiyou County Child Protection Services, and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, each of the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information, please see https://www.justice.gov.