Convicted Felon Found with Gun in Vehicle at Caddo Parish Juvenile Courthouse Sentenced

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that William S. Watts, Jr., of Shreveport, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to 40 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to information presented in court, on June 8, 2022, officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to a call from an individual who saw Watts with a gun on his person. Watts was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his 2007 felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Officers proceeded to Watts’ residence where they were told by his girlfriend at the time that her gun was missing, and Watts was on his way to the Caddo Parish Juvenile Court. Other officers were dispatched to assist and intercepted Watts at the juvenile courthouse and secured the Ruger 9mm pistol which was found on the passenger floorboard of his car. He admitted to officers that he knew he was not supposed to have any firearm in his possession.

The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.

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. PSN is 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.

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