Menomonie Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm

MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Demetrius Howard, 34, Menomonie, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 ½ years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Howard pleaded guilty to this charge on June 24, 2025.

On December 20, 2024, a deputy with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office stopped Howard’s vehicle for speeding. After further investigation, the deputy searched the vehicle and found a bag in the backseat that contained a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun. Howard told the deputy that he would have fled if his child was not in the car and further commented that there could have been a “shootout.” Howard claimed that he found the gun by a dumpster the day before and was going to throw it into the water.

Howard has a prior state conviction for party to the crime of armed robbery. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson found it unlikely that Howard found the gun by a dumpster. Howard then admitted that was not true and that he actively sought out the gun due to threats he was receiving. Judge Peterson reminded Howard that he was prohibited from possessing firearms and said that the crime was aggravated because Howard was on supervision at the time.

The charge against Howard was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and task force officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.

Federal criminal cases involving firearms are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).