Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing a firearm.

Lorenzo Dwayne Kemp, 20, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to being a felon in possession of firearms.

By pleading guilty today, Kemp admitted that he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Rohm .22-caliber revolver on Oct. 25, 2017.

Columbia police officers located a stolen vehicle, occupied by Kemp in the driver’s seat and another person in the passenger’s seat, on the morning of Oct. 25, 2017. The vehicle’s owner had reported earlier that morning that her 2003 Ford Expedition was stolen from her residence after she left the vehicle running and unlocked prior to going to work so that it would be warm for her commute.

Kemp and the passenger of the stolen vehicle both fled from police officers on foot. After a short pursuit, both men were arrested. As the officer who handcuffed Kemp assisted him off the ground, he noticed a black bag that was directly underneath him. The bag contained both firearms as well as 16 baggies of marijuana, which weighed approximately 28.75 grams.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Kemp has a prior felony conviction for forgery. He was sentenced in that state case on Oct. 23, 2017 (two days prior to his arrest in this federal case) to four years with a suspended execution of sentence and five years of probation.

Under federal statutes, Kemp is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

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