Government memo: Joplin man should serve 24 years in prison on meth, weapons charges

When the sentencing hearing for Robert Marion Nevels, 36, Joplin, on methamphetamine possession and weapons charges is held Wednesday in U. S. District Court in Springfield, the government is aiming for a 24-year-sentence. 

The case for a lengthy sentence for Nevels was detailed by the U. S. Attorney's office in a sentencing memorandum filed today.

The defendant, a career offender, sold large amounts of methamphetamine to numerous persons in the Jasper and Newton County areas of this district. 

These sales destroyed lives and damaged the communities where the sales occurred. The defendant, while both a convicted felon, and while distributing methamphetamine, possessed a firearm, also a dangerous action. 

The defendant’s actions, in distribution of methamphetamine, and his possession of the firearm, is conduct that requires a serious punishment. A total sentence of 292 months reflects the serious nature of this offense and the need for adequate punishment. 

According to the charging information, a Carthage Police Department officer stopped Robert Marion Nevels, 35, May 16 and seized 210.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine and a handgun.