Region/state digest 04/12/06

Poplar Bluff man gets prison for gun charge

A federal judge sentenced a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man to 62 months in prison for illegal possession of a gun and ammunition by a felon. Cody D. Marks, 24, received the sentenced from U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday. Poplar Bluff police officers executing a warrant on Sept. 23, 2004, caught Marks holding a pistol in the rear of a home, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway.

Man pleads guilty to having 9 mm pistol

A Caruthersville, Mo., man faces up to 10 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to a federal gun charge. During an appearance before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey in Cape Girardeau, Venito L. Johnson, 30, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Law enforcement officers searched Johnson's home on May 5 and found a 9 mm pistol, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway. Sentencing is set for July 11.

Top court rules for man who sought gun permit

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A man's 96-hour, involuntary detention in a mental health facility was not a commitment and should not have disqualified him from obtaining a permit to acquire a gun, the state Supreme Court said Tuesday. The court said David Nelson's detention for evaluation and treatment in 2003 did not result in his being "committed" to a mental health facility for purposes of restricting his right to acquire a gun. The court reversed and remanded a lower court decision that had sided with the Callaway County sheriff, who had denied the permit.

-- From staff, wire reports