Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

 

Deangelo Tarryl Grant, 32, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to eight years and three months in federal prison without parole.

 

On April 3, 2017, Grant pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

 

According to court documents, Columbia police officers observed Grant driving in Columbia on Oct. 6, 2016, and were aware that Grant’s driver’s license was expired. Officers tried to stop Grant, but he fled in his car. He stopped his car after a short pursuit, and he and his passenger fled on foot. Both individuals were quickly taken into custody, and officers retraced the path taken by Grant’s car. Officers found a loaded Glock .45-caliber pistol along the roadway. Video surveillance from a Columbia Public Housing camera depicted Grant’s car, and showed his arm coming out of the driver’s side window in the area where the Glock was recovered.

 

During a search of Grant’s car, according to court documents, a small amount of marijuana was found inside a purse. Grant admitted possessing the marijuana, but denied knowledge of the gun until officers confronted him with the video. He then admitted that he had purchased the gun “on the street” for protection.

 

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Grant has a prior felony conviction for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and distribution/delivery/manufacture of a controlled substance.

 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.