Monroe man indicted in connection with gun incident at Neville High School basketball game

Ian Robinson, Monroe News-Star
·3 min read

A Monroe man was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday in connection with an altercation at a high school basketball game, police said.

The indictment charges Montrelle Jones, 20, of Monroe, with illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm in a school zone. The indictment alleges that Jones, who was subject to a personal protection order, was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm after an altercation erupted between several individuals attending a basketball game at Neville High School in Monroe on Jan. 14.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown addresses investigating and prosecuting violent criminals in the area at a Wednesday press conference on the steps of the U.S. District Courthouse in Monroe.
U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown addresses investigating and prosecuting violent criminals in the area at a Wednesday press conference on the steps of the U.S. District Courthouse in Monroe.

If convicted, Jones could face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000 for each of the two counts.

A press conference was held Wednesday at the U.S. District Courthouse to announce the indictment, and also to address efforts to combat violent crimes committed in the city. Attending were U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown, Monroe Police Chief Vic Zordan, Ouachita Parish Sheriff Jay Russell, Ouachita Parish First Assistant District Attorney Holly Jones, and agents from the FBI, DEA, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives.

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The agencies announced a partnership to create a more effective strategy to investigate and prosecute cases against violent criminals in the area with the help of the Project Safe Neighborhoods. Launched in 2001, the program brings together local, state and federal agencies to identify violent crime issues and work to address them.

"The goal of Project Safe Neighborhoods is to provide safe neighborhoods in Monroe and surrounding communities where people can safely live, work and raise their families," Brown said. "We will continue to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to make that happen by removing of the most violent and dangerous offenders from our streets."

Since 2018, there have been 400 federal firearm prosecutions in the Western District of Louisiana, Brown said, which includes felons and drug dealers in possession of firearms. The Western District of Louisiana includes Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, Louisiana, Alexandria, and Lake Charles. The U.S. Attorney's Office currently has 14 active cases involving illegal firearms in the Monroe division.

Monroe Police Chief Vic Zordan said the Monroe Police Department is dedicated to working with federal law enforcement to reduce gun violence at a joint press conference Wednesday.
Monroe Police Chief Vic Zordan said the Monroe Police Department is dedicated to working with federal law enforcement to reduce gun violence at a joint press conference Wednesday.

Zordan said the department is willing to work hand-in-hand with Brown and the U.S. Attorney's Office to get violent criminals off the streets.

"In the federal system if you're convicted, you do 85% of your time," Zordan. "In the Louisiana system, you do about 50%, that's why this is important. They will be serving in the federal correctional facilities in Pollock, Louisiana, not in the comfort of going to jail and seeing people that were on the streets with. It's punitive damage, we need it."

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Russell said criminals know no boundaries as they continue to cross the line.

"They continue to possess illegal firearms," Russell said. "They continue to use them. The drug transactions and without us working together, there's no way we can ever stop what's going on in this community. The federal prosecutors under Brown's command have done a fantastic job of helping us with illegal firearms on the streets in Ouachita Parish and surrounding parishes. They'll continue to do it, it's up to us to make the cases and bring them to him. Without good law enforcement and without us working together, none of that happens."

The agencies advise anyone with information related to individuals committing crimes of violence in Monroe, to contact Monroe Police Department at 318-329-2600 or Crime Stoppers of North Delta at 318-388-CASH (2774).

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Monroe man indicted on gun charges in Neville High incident