Springfield Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Springfield, Mo. - A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Kenneth Terrell Jones, 58, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Beth Phillips to 150 months in federal prison without parole to be followed by three years of supervised release.

On Aug. 15, 2024, a Springfield, Mo., Police Department officer initiated a traffic stop of an SUV with no license plates. During the stop the officer observed a baggie containing suspected controlled substances. A search of the vehicle found a Taurus, PT111 Millennium G2 pistol, which had previously been reported stolen out of St. Louis and additional controlled substances, including methamphetamine and heroin. In Jones's subsequent statements to the officer, he admitted that both the firearm and the drugs belonged to him, and that he had purchased the firearm from a person who he only knew by an alias.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jones has a significant criminal history, with prior convictions for burglary, unlawful use of a weapon, robbery in the second degree, rape, hindering prosecution of a felony, felony stealing, felony possession of a controlled substances, felony resisting arrest, tampering with a motor vehicle, and felony receiving stolen property.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.