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BEAUMONT — A local man was sentenced to federal prison this week, approximately two-plus years after a firearm was discovered by police his vehicle.

DeShawn Ranard Willis, 42, first pleaded guilty May 18, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone sentenced the Port Arthur resident to a little more than five years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs made the announcement for the firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas.

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 29, 2021, Willis was arrested after a Port Arthur Police Department officer stopped a vehicle he was driving for a defective headlight on Gulfway Drive.

Willis admitted to possessing a firearm underneath the driver’s seat. Officers recovered the pistol, which was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.

Further investigation revealed Willis was a six-time convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

Willis was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 8, 2022, and charged with firearms violations.

The Port Arthur Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte.