NEW MADRID, Mo. - A jury deliberated just over 40 minutes to find a man guilty of multiple charges including the possession of a stolen handgun.
Marquon Akeem Davis, 28, of New Madrid was found guilty of the felonies of unlawful possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property and unlawful use of a weapon and the misdemeanor of resisting arrest. Judge Fred Copeland, who presided over the May 10 trial, set sentencing for 1 p.m. June 12.
Davis’s case stems from an incident Sept. 6, 2017, when the the New Madrid Police received a report of a man waving a gun around during an argument with several subjects on St. Theresa Street.
According to the probable cause statement filed by Lt. Brandon Hanner, as he and Police Chief Joey Higgerson arrived on the scene, Higgerson observed a man matching the description given by the caller. When the officers called for the man to stop, he fled the scene.
“I chased the same subject west through several back yards while continually yelling for him to stop. He finally fell down on St. Theresa and was taken into custody,” Hanner reported in the probable cause statement.
The officer noted that in a search of Davis’s travel path, officers found a Jimenez J.A. 9mm semi-automatic handgun laying on the grass near where Davis was standing when first approached by officers. A records check of the firearm determined the gun was stolen July 17, 2017, in Sikeston.
The person who called to report the incident was contacted by officers, Hanner wrote in the probable cause statement. He added the caller stated they had kids and were worried someone might get shot so had notified police. The caller also identified Davis as the individual who had displayed the gun.
“The hero in this case was the concerned neighbor,” said New Madrid County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Lawson. “Everyone wants to live in a safe community, but law enforcement can only do so much to make that happen. We need more concerned citizens like the one we had in this case to step up and say that gun violence will not be tolerated in New Madrid County.
“The easy thing for the neighbor to do in this case would have been to turn a blind eye. But because the neighbor called the police and reported this crime, a three-time convicted felon who exhibited a stolen firearm during a heated argument is likely headed to prison.”
In filing the charges, Lawson noted Davis is a persistent and prior offender, who was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2008 and again in 2016 in Scott County. Being tried as a prior and persistent felony offender enhances the possible range of punishment for each of the offenses. According to Lawson, Davis is now facing a maximum of 28 years in prison.
New Madrid County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Austin Crowe represented the county and did an outstanding job, according to Lawson.
He went on to praise the work of Higgerson and Hanner, noting they were on the scene within minutes. “If not for their quick reaction time, the chances of winning this case would have been greatly diminished,” he said.