Two men plead guilty to illegal possession of firearms

Two Scott County men pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal possession of firearms.

Jessie L. Mercer, 28, and Jonathan R. Ward, 29, were accused of breaking into a New Madrid County home May 31 and stealing seven firearms they later tried to resell.

A Mississippi County deputy learned the same day where the men with the weapons were and arrested the defendants.

In court Tuesday before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber, Mercer pleaded guilty to possession of firearms by a felon and Ward pleaded guilty to possession of stolen firearms, a news release from the U.S. attorney's office stated.

Six of the seven weapons were found in a vehicle the pair was in when arrested. The last gun was recovered from a person who bought it from Mercer, according to the release.

The weapons were from a hunter's collection, mostly rifles and shotguns, according to assistant U.S. attorney. Keith D. Sorrell.

Ward and Mercer were scheduled for sentencing April 24. Both men face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Also before Webber Tuesday, Ricky Mixon, 21, of Sikeston, Mo., pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.

During an arrest Oct. 10, 2003, Mixon took a .25-caliber pistol from his clothes and threw it to the ground.

In a separate case Tuesday, Kristy J. Turnage, 26, of Memphis, Tenn., pleaded guilty before Webber to illegal possession of a firearm. While stopped for speeding, a Missouri State Highway patrolman searched the defendant's car and found a .380-caliber pistol.

Mixon and Turnage were scheduled to be sentenced April 25, and could be imprisoned up to 10 years and receive a $250,000 fine.

In another case before Webber, Joseph G. Barman, 18, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to counterfeiting and attempting to pass and possess counterfeit money.

Barman used a copy machine to produce $2,800 in counterfeit $20 bills and attempted to use the counterfeit bills at a Shannon County campground.

When Barman is sentenced April 24, he could receive up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.