High-speed chase leads to firearms charges for Maurice man

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced Thrusday that a man from Maurice pleaded guilty to having an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.
Kevin Patrick Abshire, 31, of Maurice, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm; namely, a shotgun having a barrel less than 18 inches in length. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell.
According to the guilty plea, Abshire admitted that on June 6, 2015, he was involved in a high-speed car chase within the city limits of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish, after he nearly struck an officer of the Lafayette Police Department while that officer was directing traffic at an accident scene. Instead of following the directions of the officers on the scene to turn off the engine to his vehicle, Abshire admitted that he drove away at a high rate of speed, causing officers of the Lafayette Police Department and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office to pursue Abshire’s vehicle.
Abshire was involved in a single-vehicle accident near the Ridge Road area of Lafayette, and upon exiting the vehicle, officers noticed that he was in possession of a shotgun. Officers were successful in subduing Abshire and placing him into custody. The investigation revealed that the shotgun Abshire possessed when he exited the vehicle was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, was loaded, and had a barrel length of 13-7/8 inches.
Abshire faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
The ATF, Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.