CV Man found Guilty on Firearm Charges

A Cotton Valley man has been found guilty by a jury of 12 people on firearm charges.

Braxton Lenoard, 21, of Cotton Valley, was found guilty Wednesday on charges of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and for Illegal Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

Leonard was originally charged on May 3, 2018 following an incident in Minden on April 28, 2018 that left one person temporarily paralyzed. Leonard reportedly discharged a firearm repeatedly into a crowd of teenagers at a party. One round struck Laverto Shine, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Other rounds shattered the back glass of a vehicle, which was occupied by three teenagers at the time. Leonard was charged with Attempted Second Degree Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, Aggravated Criminal Damage to Property, Illegal Use of Weapons, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

This was not Leonards first run-in with authorities. In 2017, he was charged with Felony Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances. This felony charge prohibited him from owning or possessing a firearm.

“We cannot give you all the puzzle pieces, but we can give you the ones that matter,” Webster Parish Assistant District Attorney Stuart McMahen told the jury in his opening statement. Webster Parish Assistant District Attorney Jimbo Yocum added to the opening statement telling the jury that their role was to find the “truth of the matter.”

The jury deliberated less than an hour and returned a guilty verdict on the charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Illegal Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

“I am proud of my Assistant District Attorneys Stuart McMahen and Jimbo Yocom who worked together with the very capable Minden Police Department Detective Keith King to make it possible for a jury to render today’s verdict of guilty” said District Attorney Schuyler Marvin in a press release.

The charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm (LRS 14:95.1) carries a penalty of hard labor for not less than five nor more than twenty years without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence and a fine not less than one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars. Illegal Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (LRS 14:94 (F)) carries a penalty of hard labor for not less then ten years nor more than twenty years, without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.