St. Joseph Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegal Firearm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm following an 11-hour standoff with law enforcement officers.
Terrance T. Brown, 41, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Monday, April 22, to 10 years in federal prison without parole, which is the statutory maximum penalty for this offense.
On Dec. 3, 2018, Brown was found guilty at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Brown was in possession of a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol on Sept. 13, 2017.
Brown threatened his wife with a firearm on July 12, 2017, according to court documents, and was involved in a shooting on Sept. 3, 2017. On Sept. 12, 2017, Brown shot at law enforcement officers while fleeing arrest. He then barricaded himself in a St. Joseph neighborhood residence, where he was arrested following an 11-hour standoff.
Officers with the St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department established a perimeter around the residence. After several minutes, three individuals (including a juvenile) came out of the residence, but Brown – armed with the handgun – remained inside. Officers used portable cameras to locate Brown in the attic of the residence. Eventually, Brown left the attic and ended up on the roof of the house; he surrendered to officers and was arrested. The loaded Ruger 9mm pistol with an extended magazine was found during a search of the attic. Officers also found ammunition and an empty box for a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber firearm, which contained some ammunition.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has a prior federal conviction in the District of Kansas for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brown has two prior felony convictions for robbery in Wyandotte County, Kan., as well as prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm, and attempted possession of a controlled substance. Brown was under supervision by Missouri Probation and Parole for felony drug possession in Jackson County, Mo., at the time of the offense.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily A. Morgan and Adam Caine. It was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
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.
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