Department of Justice

TEXARKANA, Texas – A Texarkana father and son have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Kelvin Lorenzo Harris, also known as Fifth Ward, 57, pleaded guilty on Sep. 7, 2021 to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Harris was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III on Feb. 15, 2022. Markelvin Renard McHenry, also known as Black, 33, pleaded guilty to the same charges on Sep. 1, 2021, and was sentenced to 165 months in federal prison today by Judge Schroeder.

According to information presented in court, Harris and McHenry conspired to sell methamphetamine and a short-barreled shotgun in Texarkana. Specifically, Harris displayed the sawed-off shotgun during a methamphetamine transaction in October 2020. Several weeks later, Harris was arrested on unrelated charges. After his arrest, Harris directed his son, McHenry, to go get the short-barreled shotgun. McHenry then sold methamphetamine and his father's shotgun, disposing of the money from the shotgun as Harris directed. Both Harris and McHenry have been convicted of multiple felonies, including burglary of a habitation, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and theft of a firearm. As convicted felons, they are prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

Harris and McHenry were indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2021, and charged with federal drug trafficking and firearms violations.

This case was 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 was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texarkana, Texas Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.