Judge sentences Sikeston man to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearm

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A Sikeston, Missouri, man was sentenced on Wednesday to prison on an illegal gun possession charge.

Dwayne Harris, 30, of Sikeston was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison following his guilty plea to being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

According to court documents, on Nov. 18, 2020, officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety executed a search warrant at the residence of Harris in Sikeston. Harris was present during the execution of the warrant. During the search, officers located a fully loaded Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, as well as an additional firearm magazine and a quantity of marijuana. Harris admitted that all items seized from the residence belonged to him. Harris has a prior felony conviction for Unlawful Use of a Weapon in Scott County, Missouri, and he is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

The Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution.