Judge sentences East Prairie man to 120 months on gun charges

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – An East Prairie, Missouri, man was sentenced Wednesday to prison on a stolen firearm charge.

Benjamin C. Wallace, 40, of East Prairie was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty in July for possession of a stolen firearm, according to United States District Judge Matthew T. Schelp.

On Feb. 16, 2020, a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer stopped Wallace for a traffic violation. When Wallace stepped out of the truck he had been driving, the officer noticed several bulges in Wallace’s clothing. The officer asked Wallace if he had any weapons or knives. Wallace replied, “Not on me.” The officer then asked if Wallace had any weapons inside the truck. Wallace said, “Yes” and that the firearm was in the backseat area next to the male passenger. The officer arrested Wallace, who admitted that he took the shotgun from another residence without the owner’s permission and that he knew the New England Firearms shotgun was stolen when he possessed it.

The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Keith D. Sorrell handled the prosecution for the government.