In federal court: Former deputy sheriff pleads guilty to possession, sale of stolen firearms

The U.S. attorney's office released the following information Monday for defendants who appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.

PLEADED GUILTY

Name: Steffanie Kearbey

Residence: Carter County, Mo.

Charges: Possession and sale of stolen firearms

Summary: At her plea, Kearbey, former deputy sheriff of Carter County, admitted that on Dec. 24, 2009, the sheriff's department responded to a complaint at the residence of Milo Couser. Officers obtained consent to search the residence and found at least 18 firearms during the search. Couser was a convicted felon and could not lawfully possess the firearms. Carter County deputies collected the firearms, and instead of maintaining all of the firearms as evidence as required by law, Sheriff Tommy Adams sold some of them to Richard Kearbey, the defendant's father. The defendant then took possession of the stolen firearms and maintained possession of them for her father. The defendant also took possession of other firearms stolen from Couser. Some of the Couser firearms were sold by the defendant and Adams to others, with the last sale occurring April 2, 2011, when Steffanie Kearbey sold one of the firearms, a Sig Sauer .40-caliber pistol, to an informant for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Kearbey now faces a maximum punishment of 10 years and a $250,000 on each count. Sentencing has been set for July 9.