Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Neosho man convicted of illegally possessing firearms

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Neosho, Mo., man has been convicted in federal court of illegally possessing firearms.

Louis Anthony Hardison, also known as Mohammad L. Carrol, 54, of Neosho, was found guilty on July 2, 2015, of being a felon in possession of two firearms, in an order by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, following a bench trial on June 15, 2015.

Hardison was in possession of an Intratec 9mm pistol (along with 140 rounds of ammunition) and a Cobray Derringer .45-caliber pistol (along with two rounds of ammunition) on Nov. 27, 2013.

According to court documents, a 911 dispatcher received a desperate call for assistance at about 4 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2013. The caller reported that someone had a gun and knives and told the dispatcher, “I will be . . . dead before you get all this information . . . he got a butcher knife to my . . . neck and he got a gun.”

When Neosho police officers arrived at the residence, they found the caller standing near her vehicle parked on the roadside in front of Hardison’s residence. Hardison was standing near the front door of the residence. The officer noticed that Hardison smelled of intoxicants and his speech was slurred.

Another police officer, who arrived a few minutes later, asked Hardison about the gun. Hardison pointed to a green duffel bag on the floor in the hallway. Inside the bag, the officer found a Tech 9 Intratec 9mm handgun. The gun had a magazine in it, and there were four other magazines in the duffel bag.

A police officer, who had been informed by the victim that Hardison had a Derringer, told Hardison he was sure there were other weapons in the residence. Hardison then told the officer he had another handgun in the bedroom. Hardison escorted the police officer to the bedroom and told him that the gun was in the ductwork. The officer removed the ductwork and located the derringer two-shot pistol.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Hardison has two prior felony convictions for forgery and prior felony convictions for escape, grand theft auto and non-sufficient funds.

Under federal statutes, Hardison is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years 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. Attorney Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Neosho, Mo., Police Department.

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