BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violations.
19-year-old Damon Donte Henry pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to three years and eight months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Truncale on November 13, 2024.
According to information presented in court, Henry smuggled a fully loaded short-barreled AR-15 style rifle into the South Texas State Fair on March 30, 2024.
Around 10:30 p.m., Beaumont Police that were on bike patrol at the fair noticed Henry suspiciously carrying a large backpack near one of the rides.
When the officers tried to speak to Henry, he immediately ran away, leaving the backpack behind.
Officers found the AR-15-style rifle and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
After a chase, Henry was caught in the fair parking lot.
Officers found out that the rifle was unlawfully modified to be shorter than required by federal law, which mandates that rifles with an overall length less than 26 inches or a barrel less than 16 inches be registered with the ATF.
The rifle was also equipped with a large capacity magazine and 26 rounds of ammunition.
Henry was indicted by a federal gran jury on June 5, 2024.