Jury Convicts KC Man of Illegal Firearm, Meth Possession
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted at trial today of illegally possessing a firearm and of possessing methamphetamine.
Clarence Brooks, 51, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing methamphetamine, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Brooks was in possession of 26.55 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded J.A. .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Feb. 3, 2017. On that date, Kansas City police officers pulled over a vehicle in which Brooks was a passenger after being notified that the vehicle had been stolen. When the vehicle stopped on the ramp from Prospect Avenue onto Interstate 70, officers ordered Brooks to get out of the vehicle and lie down on the ground. The driver of the vehicle then sped away; officers did not follow the vehicle.
As Brooks was being taken into custody, officers found the pistol in his right jacket pocket and a clear plastic baggie that contained methamphetamine in the left jacket pocket.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brooks has a prior state felony conviction for burglary and a prior federal felony conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine, five kilograms or more of PCP, and one kilogram or more of marijuana. Following federal incarceration, Brooks violated the terms of his supervised release by possessing a firearm and was sentenced to two years in federal prison. He violated the terms of his supervised release again and was sentenced to another year and a day in federal prison.
Under federal statutes, Brooks is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately two hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes, ending a trial that began Monday, June 10, 2019.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Matthew A. Blackwood. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department 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.
