Beaumont man gets prison for taking short-barreled rifle to South Texas State Fair

A Beaumont man will serve nearly four years in federal prison after taking an unregistered short-barreled weapon into the South Texas State Fair, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Damon Donte Henry, 19, pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Truncale on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Damien M. Diggs said in a news release Thursday.

Information presented in court said Henry smuggled a fully loaded short-barreled AR-15-style rifle into the South Texas State Fair in Beaumont on March 30, 2024.

At around 10:30 p.m., Beaumont bike police patrolling at the fair noticed Henry was suspiciously carrying a large backpack near one of the rides. When the officers attempted to speak with him, he immediately ran away, discarding the backpack.

Officers found the rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, authorities said.

After a short chase, Henry was subdued in the parking lot.

Officers found that the rifle was unlawfully modified to be shorter than required by federal law, which mandates that rifles with an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel less than 16 inches be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The rifle also had a large capacity magazine and 26 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

A federal grand jury indicted Henry on June 5, 2024.

The Beaumont Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the FBI investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.