Man pleads guilty to federal charge in road rage case

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Missouri man who threatened another driver in a road rage confrontation has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The U.S. attorney's office says 29-year-old William J.W. Duval, of Conway, admitted Thursday through his plea that he was in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol during the June 2019 confrontation in Springfield.

It started when Duval drifted into another lane of traffic, causing another driver to honk, prosecutors said in a news release. Duval responded by flipping off the driver and showing him a firearm. The other driver then called 911, the release said.

Officers who searched Duval's vehicle found the loaded pistol between the driver's seat and center console and arrested Duval. He was barred from possessing the weapon because of prior felony convictions for stealing a motor vehicle, theft, burglary, forgery, possession of a controlled substance and stealing.

The firearm charge crime carries a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole.