Feds Take Aim At Violent Crime In Tuscaloosa With 35 Arrests In Large Operation

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A multi-agency operation last month in Tuscaloosa involving local, state and federal law enforcement resulted in the arrest of 35 individuals as part of a wider push to combat the sources of violent crime in the city.

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According to a press release this week from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the effort's central focus was on prosecuting violent crime in Tuscaloosa.

U.S.Attorney Prim Escalona said the initiative was made possible, in part, by focusing on crimes that drive the violence — such as illegally-obtained firearms.

“But our work is not done," Escalona said. "We expect additional prosecutions in the near future as we continue to focus on the scourge of violent crime. We are committed to working with our state and local partners in Tuscaloosa to make our communities safer.”

As part of the announcement this week, prosectors mentioned that in April 2022, a federal grand jury indicted multiple defendants with firearm offenses, including:

• Stanley Darnelius Wilder, 26, Tuscaloosa, who was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Wilder is accused of illegally possessing a Diamondback 9mm pistol.
• Antawn Devonte Marshall, 25, Eutaw, was charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Marshall is accused of illegally possessing a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, approximately 29 rounds of Wolf 7.6x39mm ammunition and a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol.
• Johnny Dewayne Wells, 31, Tuscaloosa, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Wells is accused of illegally possessing a Cobra .380 caliber pistol.
• Charles Anthony Leatherwood, Jr., 20, Tuscaloosa, was charged with possession of a stolen firearm and with being an unlawful and addicted user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Leatherwood is accused of receiving a stolen Glock .40 caliber pistol.

What's more, Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Donovan Logan Crawley, 32, of Tuscaloosa, to 15 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm on April 28.

Escalona said Crawley is prohibited from having a firearm because of multiple prior felony convictions and pleaded guilty in December 2021 to the charge.

In addition to those named, the ATF, along with the Tuscaloosa Police Department, partnered in a two-day operation focused on reducing violent crime in Tuscaloosa, with that operation netting 35 arrests.

ATF Special Agents and Task Force officers arrested Devante Deshaun Stewart for a recent federal indictment for possession of two firearms after having been convicted of a felony.

This operation resulted in arrests for a broad variety of offenses, the ATF said, including narcotics possession, pistol possession without a permit, distribution of narcotics, assault, outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court, illegal possession of pistols after convictions for certain state offenses, DUI, and leaving the scene of a crash, among other charges.

Officers also reportedly recovered a Jaguar automobile that had been stolen from the Birmingham area, in addition to local narcotics investigators executing two narcotics search warrants during the operation.

Lastly, officers seized nine firearms from individuals who did not have pistol permits or were barred from possessing them because of prior convictions for certain felonies.

The efforts come not a moment too soon, following a shooting earlier this week at Hay Court apartments in Tuscaloosa that left five people injured. This marked just the latest shooting in Tuscaloosa, which has seen a noticeable uptick in violent crime.

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