A Dayton man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Clifford Scott Oclair, 57, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on Jan. 9, 2023.
According to court documents, on July 11, 2022, Oclair was arrested by deputy U.S. Marshals and Liberty County law enforcement officers in Liberty County who were tracking him down in an attempt to arrest him for outstanding warrants.
A few minutes prior to his arrest, Oclair was observed crossing through a fenced-off, open area into a pasture along Highway 321 near Dayton. Law enforcement officers set up a perimeter in the pasture and took positions in high grass on the ground, while observing the area.
Within a few minutes, officers observed Oclair on the run moving toward them. When Oclair got close enough, the officers emerged from their positions with their weapons raised and arrested him, but not before he was observed discarding a firearm he had concealed in his pants. The loaded firearm was discovered in the grass nearby.
Oclair was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 5, 2022. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is being investigated by the Dayton Police Department, Liberty County Constable’s Office, Precincts 4 and 6, Port Arthur Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte.