Texas Man Sentenced For Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

SHREVEPORT, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Larry Robert Baker, 50, of Maud, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm after being convicted and serving time for a murder and other felonies in Texas. He pleaded guilty August 29, 2013.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) conducted an operation on January 11, 2013 to catch night hunters who were shooting after dark from the roads in north Caddo Parish.  During the operation, LDWF agents observed Baker shooting from a car at a deer decoy set up by agents.  A .22 caliber revolver was found in the car that he was driving, along with a box of .22 caliber ammunition.  Baker was arrested for the wildlife violation, driving under suspension, and traveling with open containers of alcohol.  Upon further investigation, agents found that Baker had recently been released from prison after serving 20 years for a Texas murder.  Baker was found guilty of murder on August 5, 1993, in the 54th District Court of McLennan County, Texas.  He also has prior burglary and property theft convictions.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide program started in 2001 designed to reduce violence by aggressively enforcing existing federal firearms laws.