Latest news with #PrestonAllen
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Convicted felon in Lufkin pleads guilty to federal firearms violation
LUFKIN, Texas (KETK)– A Lufkin man pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation after being arrested in February. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Eastern District of Texas, on Feb. 3, 2025, Preston Allen, 58, was arrested at his house in Lufkin when officers found him standing outside with an AR-15 style rifle. 'Operation Take Back America': 2 Mexican nationals sentenced after trafficking meth in East Texas 'Allen was ordered to put the rifle on the ground and was taken into custody,' officials said. 'Further investigation revealed Allen is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.' Allen pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on Tuesday and faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The Department of Justice said a sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation. Lufkin man pleads guilty to federal firearms violation Allen's case was part of Operation Take Back America, 'a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
Inquest hears about slippery conditions when carpenter fell 8½ metres to ground
A coroner's inquest is underway to determine the facts surrounding the death of Preston Allen, a carpenter who died from a fall at a residential construction site in Fredericton on Dec. 6, 2021. Allen yelled out before falling 8½ metres from scaffolding while installing siding on a house under construction at 19 Brighton Court in Fredericton, chief coroner Heather Brander and a five jurors heard Monday. Allen's co-worker Patrick McMahon said at the inquest the conditions that day were messy, with a mix of snow, rain and ice pellets. He and the other employees of New View Design by Laurie Cole Inc. chose to work inside, passing materials to Allen on the scaffolding. When he turned to walk downstairs, he said he heard the shout and he ran to the opening to see Allen on the ground. McMahon said he then sprinted outside. The conditions on that day were a mix of snow, rain and ice pellets, according to one of Allen's co-wokers at the site. (Submitted by WorkSafeNB) He said Allen was struggling for air when he reached him and he turned him over onto his back and "held him [and] was with him," while coworkers called 911. Paramedics arrived and took Allen to the hospital where he died from his injuries. "No one should have been on those planks," Michel Cyr, manager of investigations at WorkSafe New Brunswick, said. Cyr said every 10 minutes, employees swept the planks and added salt but even the pipes would have been impossible to hang on to in those conditions. Preston Allen, pictured with his wife Jennifer Black, died from a fall at a residential construction site on Dec. 6, 2021. ( The scaffolding itself revealed several deficiencies, he said. It wasn't properly attached to the house and the two-by-fours erected were "more of a tripping hazard than a guard rail." Cyr said there was no competent supervisor at the site. People considered Allen the project lead but he was not given employee orientation or safety training. On July 17, 2024, New View Design by Laurie Cole Inc. was fined $25,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act on charges stemming from the incident, according to WorkSafeNB. The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide instruction necessary to ensure an employee's health and safety. The judge also ordered a $5,000 victim surcharge. The inquest is expected to last two days. Brander told the jury the inquest is not to place blame or guilt, but to come up with reasonable and practical recommendations to prevent further injury or death under similar circumstances.
