INDReporter

From pawn shop to felon: Case of stolen shotgun ends in another prison stint

by Patrick Flanagan

Considering his repeated stays in the local penal system, David Narcisse Jr. should have known that having a semiautomatic shotgun, even one given to him by a friend, wasn't the brightest of ideas.

Considering his repeated stays in the local penal system, David Narcisse Jr. should have known that having a semiautomatic shotgun, even one given to him by a friend, wasn't the brightest of ideas.

That revelation, however, didn't strike Narcisse in time, and the realization of it all probably came crashing down while sitting before U.S. District Judge Richard Haik for his sentencing hearing in federal court Monday.

For Narcisse, Monday's sentencing hearing was the result of a history in trouble with the law and a stolen 12 gauge semiautomatic shotgun that local law enforcement officials traced from a local pawn shop back to the 33-year-old Lafayette man.

According to a press release issued by U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley's office, the 12 gauge was pawned in Lafayette on Sept. 6, 2012. The gun had previously been reported stolen, so red flags were raised with the pawn shop transaction and police were called in, leading to an investigation spearheaded by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Louisiana Probation and Parole and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.

Investigators eventually found the man who pawned the gun and Narcisse was named as its source, as the man claimed he'd been given the firearm by the repeat felon. For Narcisse, it would all be down-hill from here, and with an arrest for an unrelated violation, he was brought in for questioning on the stolen shotgun.

Like his friend, Narcisse also claimed the gun came into his possession from someone else, saying he'd purchased the firearm from a friend.

Narcisse's story, however, wouldn't hold up for Judge Haik during Monday's hearing.

With a record including two felony drug convictions - one in 2006 for cocaine possession with intent to distribute and another in 2008 for possession of schedule II narcotics - followed by a 2010 conviction for illegally carrying a firearm while in possession of controlled dangerous substances, Narcisse, it's safe to say, should have known better in this last go around.

And that sentiment must have also been felt by Judge Haik as seen with the 3.5 year prison sentence he handed during Monday's hearing.