Firearms charge sends Sikeston man to prison

A Sikeston, Missouri, man was sentenced Thursday to return to federal prison for possessing a firearm.

Corey E. Turner Jr., 27, was sentenced to serve a total of 69 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to United States Attorney's Office. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

According to court documents, on July 28, 2019, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene of an altercation in the 800 block of William Street in Sikeston where gun shots were reportedly fired. Numerous subjects fled from the scene as officers arrived, including Turner.

Officers subsequently discovered a firearm on top of a tire of a nearby parked vehicle, which is described as a Glock .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The pistol had a high-capacity magazine loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition. The investigation later revealed Turner's DNA was present on the pistol. Turner was prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law because he is a convicted felon, including a 2011 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine for which he was sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison.

Turner had just been released from prison for that conviction on June 7, 2019, less than two months before the new offense.

This case was investigated by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.