Colorado Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Firearm, Marijuana
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Conifer, Colo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and marijuana.
Curtis David Barker, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 19, 2018, Barker pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing marijuana and cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug-trafficking crime.
On Jan. 31, 2016, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper pulled over Barker, who was driving a 2012 Dodge Ram truck, for speeding on Interstate 29. The trooper smelled marijuana and Barker admitted he had a small amount of marijuana, which a female passenger handed to the trooper. As Barker was being arrested and searched, the trooper found a loaded Cobray Firearms double-barrel derringer pistol and a plastic baggie that contained cocaine in the front pocket of Barker’s hoodie, as well as $4,100 in the pocket of his leather vest.
After being placed under arrest, handcuffed, and seated in the passenger seat of the trooper’s vehicle, Barker said, “Oh well, it is all over now.”
Troopers searched Barker’s vehicle and found an extra-large camouflage duffle bag in the back passenger seat. The duffle bag contained several vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana; the duffle bag weighed about 40 pounds. A trooper unlocked the cover of the bed of the truck and found several trash bags. Inside the trash bags there were more vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana that weighed about 70 pounds. The total weight of marijuana found in the truck was approximately 44.257 kilograms.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Barker has a prior felony conviction for carrying a concealed weapon in Florida; two prior felony convictions for breaking and entering and a conviction for manufacturing marijuana in North Carolina; and five prior felony convictions for burglary, four prior felony convictions for grand larceny, and prior felony convictions for failing to stop for an officer, receiving stolen goods, breaking and entering, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a pistol by a violent crime offender in South Carolina.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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