Willis continued to resist arrest, leading to a four-hour standoff before he was finally taken into custody.
INDIANAPOLIS – Barry Willis, 49, of Anderson has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Willis was released from the Indiana Department of Corrections to parole on January 17, 2022. He failed to contact his parole agent, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on February 17, 2022. On April 6, 2022, law enforcement officers obtained information that Willis was dealing narcotics, was in possession of a firearm, and had pointed a firearm at a juvenile.
ATF agents went to Willis’ home in Anderson to execute search and arrest warrants. Willis saw investigators arrive and barricaded himself inside the attic. Willis refused to comply with commands to surrender and a SWAT team was called in to assist and deployed chemical agents and a K9 to force Willis outside. Willis continued to resist arrest, leading to a four-hour standoff before he was finally taken into custody.
Once inside the home, agents located a loaded, green 9mm pistol under the bed. Forensic examination located Willis’ DNA on the gun’s trigger guard, magazine, and a bullet. Willis is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law following each of his six previous felony convictions in Anderson and Muncie between 1994 and 2017, including for dealing methamphetamine, burglary, theft, resisting law enforcement, and intimidation. Willis has an Aryan Brotherhood tattoo and has been previously established as a member of the violent, white supremacist gang.
“For decades, this defendant has been a menace to the people of East-Central Indiana. Prior convictions and prison sentences have not seemed to alter his utter disrespect for the law and public safety,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The sentence imposed here demonstrates the serious consequences awaiting repeat, violent felons who continue to illegally possess firearms. I commend the ATF, Indiana State Police, and our federal prosecutor for ensuring this career criminal spends years in federal prison and off our streets.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Indiana State Police investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Willis be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate, who prosecuted this case.
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