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A local man linked to a Port Arthur shooting was sentenced to more than six years in jail for illegal weapons possession.

U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced the news, saying U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone sentenced 44-year-old Christopher Bryan Jones to 78 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Jones pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced Friday.

According to Diggs, Bernard Colbert, 40, of Baldwin, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to the same offense, and Crone sentenced him earlier this year to 40 months in federal prison.

According to information presented in court, on May 8, 2022, Port Arthur Police encountered Jones and Colbert in a vehicle parked at a convenience store on Gulfway Drive. The officers were investigating a shooting and questioned Jones and Colbert.

During the questioning, the officers observed a pistol-grip shotgun on the backseat behind the men.

Further investigation revealed Jones had prior felony convictions from Jefferson County, including robbery and burglary of a habitation, and Colbert had felony convictions from Louisiana, including possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

A federal grand jury indicted the men together on Nov. 2, 2022.

Under federal law, felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
The Port Arthur Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross prosecuted.