I-TEAM: Baker man arrested on federal gun charges days after prior arrest

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The US Marshal Service Middle Louisiana Fugitive Task Force with the assistance of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and ATF made an arrest Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

Charmaine Wilson, 25, was picked up on federal gun charges, including felon in possession of a firearm according to the federal arrest warrant. Agents with the task force were able to track him down at a home on Greenwood Lane in Baker.

Wilson was just arrested on November 5, 2022, following an incident in Tigerland. A source close to the case tells the WAFB I-TEAM he had a Glock with a switch on it at the time which converted the weapon into a machine gun. According to arrest records, he was cutting donuts in a red Dodge Charger along Alvin Dark Avenue in the middle of the road while hundreds of people were walking along the roadway during the LSU game. When an officer told him to stop, the officer noticed a gun in Wilson’s hand as he raced away from the scene into a bar parking lot. Officers were able to track him down but they say he wrestled with police as they tried to take him into custody, at one point allegedly pushing an officer to the ground and causing the officer to cut his head. Police recovered a Glock from the car which they say was stolen.

“We’re seeing it more and more on the streets and we are pushing for it at arresting those individuals and then taking it a step up to make sure that they’re getting arrested by the federal government,” said Sgt. L’Jean McKneely. “It’s against the law. It’s against the law, I say again, to have those type of weapons and we’re going to hold you accountable if we come in contact with you with those type of weapons.”

Wilson faced a number of charges from that arrest including drag racing, handling machine guns, and resisting an officer. He was able to get out of parish prison the next day on a $7,500 bond. Sgt. L’Jean McKneely with the Baton Rouge Police Department says that is a problem.

”It’s very frustrating. You know what we try to do is send a message. Our message is if you commit a crime you’re going to make an arrest and you’re going to sit in jail for committing those crimes. So when you see that revolving door of those individuals who are repeatedly committing those crimes it creates not only a distrust for us but a distrust for the community,” said McKneely. ‘When they see that we make an arrest and those individuals that are committing those crimes are out on the streets the next day, it’s disheartening for them.”

He was previously arrested in 2017 for domestic abuse battery and back in 2016 for second-degree murder after the fact and obstruction of justice charges after a fight over a flyer for a birthday party left a man dead.

Sgt. McKneely says they work every day to get criminals off the streets and every time those same folks are able to get out and re-offend makes it harder to keep the public safe.

”It’s creating a problem for us and it’s also creating a problem for the community,” McKneely added.

He is currently being held at the West Baton Rouge Parish Jail.

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