MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On Thursday, April 6, 2023, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that 27-year-old Howard D. Jackson of Ruston, La. has been sentenced to 170 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years supervised release for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted and Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of Drug Trafficking.

According to evidence presented to the court, on or about May 25, 2022, while on
patrol, an officer with the Ruston Police Department observed a man with a brown shoulder
bag standing near the driver’s side of a vehicle near a gas station. The officer was suspicious
of the activity and ran the license plate on the vehicle and learned that the driver’s license of
the vehicle’s registered owner was suspended.

The officer conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and the driver was confirmed to be the registered owner, and she admitted that her license was suspended. Jackson was identified as the passenger in the vehicle with the female. The officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside and a search of the vehicle were conducted. Officers and found Jackson with a shoulder bag containing a loaded Smith and Wesson 40 caliber pistol, methamphetamine, marijuana, oxycodone, alprazolam, MDMA, plastic baggies, and a digital scale.

According to officials, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
examined and tested the firearm and found it to have been manufactured in Massachusetts and therefore traveled in interstate commerce. Jackson is a convicted felon with prior felony convictions for possession with intent to distribute both Schedule II and III controlled substances in 2020 and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. Jackson pleaded guilty to the charges on November 28, 2022.