Lecompte man sentenced on firearms crime after tyring to dispose of pistol during arrest

ALEXANDRIA, La. – A Lecompte man who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on March 8, 2019, after trying to dispose of the firearm during his arrest, was sentenced Tuesday to serve time in federal prison, said U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph.

United States District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced Timothy Jackson Van Mol, 35, to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.  According to federal law, as a convicted felon, Van Mol is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.

Rapides Parish Sheriff’s deputies made contact with Van Mol on March 5, 2018 on Lamourie Road near Lecompte while executing an outstanding state warrant for non-support.  Upon exiting his vehicle, Van Mol removed a chrome handgun from his waistband and threw it toward a nearby ditch full of water.  The firearm retrieved by officers just off the bank of the ditch was a Sig Sauer, model SP2022, .40-caliber pistol.  Van Mol has multiple felonies in state court in 2009 including burglary and drug possession. 

The ATF and Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.                                              

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.