Month: January 2016

Jury convicts KCK man of illegal firearm, marijuana

A Kansas City, Kan., man was convicted by a federal trial jury Wednesday, Jan. 13, of illegally possessing a firearm and possessing marijuana for distribution, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Missouri.

Michael Anthony Garrett, 32, of Kansas City, Kan., was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Garrett was in possession of a loaded Glock .45-caliber pistol on Dec. 28, 2014. An off-duty police officer found Garrett asleep in a Dodge Caravan that was parked at one of the pumps at Grand Slam gas station, 631 Grand, Kansas City, Mo. There was no one else in the vehicle. The officer attempted to wake Garrett up but he would not wake up, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Another officer saw a handgun in the vehicle, lying in plain view on top of a pile of clothes between the seats. There was a holster for the gun observed on the front passenger floor board. Officers also found a mason jar containing 10.3 grams of marijuana in the vehicle. When Garrett eventually woke up, he was arrested.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Garrett has prior felony convictions for aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and eluding a police officer.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about three hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, Jan. 11, 2016.

Under federal statutes, Garrett is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Alison Dunning. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\\\