Kennett man sentenced to prison for drugs, firearm

A Kennett, Missouri, man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug and firearm offenses.

A release from the U.S. Attorney's Office says Steven Chunn, 40, will serve the sentence for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

At the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. sentenced Chunn to the term.

Chunn pleaded guilty to the crimes in February, admitting that July 11 he possessed 59 grams of methamphetamine and a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol after authorities conducted a traffic stop in Portageville, Missouri.

According to the release, Chunn admitted he possessed the methamphetamine for distribution, and the firearm was for protection of the drugs and money obtained from drug sales. The firearm was located underneath the driver's seat and was loaded and ready to fire with eight rounds of hollow-point ammunition in the magazine and a round in the chamber. At the time of his arrest, Chunn had an active warrant for a parole violation on a felony drug case out of New Madrid County, Missouri.

Limbaugh ordered Chunn's federal sentence to run consecutive to his state case.

This case was investigated by Portageville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. attorney Julie Hunter handled the case for the government.