Joplin man who shot his girlfriend in 2020, indicted on meth trafficking, weapons charges

A federal grand jury indicted a Joplin man on meth trafficking and weapons charges.

The indictment, which was unsealed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges Travis K. Brown, 50, possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possessed it in the presence of a minor, and was a felon in possession of a firearm.

The meth crimes allegedly took place June 29, while the weapons charge is related to an August 2, 2020 incident in which Brown accidentally shot his girlfriend.

The crimes were allegedly committed in Jasper County, according to the indictment.

Brown, who has a lengthy criminal record dating back two decades, allegedly committed the crimes at the same time that he is awaiting trial in Jasper County Circuit Court for charges related to the August 2, 2020 shooting of his girlfriend at 913 S. McKinley in Joplin.

A Joplin Police Department news release indicated the shooting was an accident that occurred while Brown was cleaning his gun and went off with the bullet hitting his girlfriend in the abdomen. The gun turned out to be stolen and Brown, who was a convicted felon, was not allowed to own a gun.

He was cited for assault, receiving stolen property and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

All of these alleged crimes were committed during a time when Brown probably should have already been in prison.

Jasper County Circuit Court online records indicate that in 2015 two judges sentenced Brown, who had already served prison time on an arson charge, on separate felony possession charges to six-year sentences to run concurrently. After four months, Brown's sentence was suspended.

On February 2, 2016, the Joplin Police Department arrested Brown for felony possession of a controlled sentence. He pleaded guilty September 24, 2018, and Judge Gayle Crane, who had sentenced Brown the previous year, once again handed him a six-year sentence and once again suspended his sentence after he served four months and attended a drug treatment program.

Crane revoked Brown's probation October 28, 2020, after the shooting of his girlfriend, but apparently his six-year sentenced ended in less than one year, providing him with time to get indicted for meth trafficking.