KANSAS CITY, MO. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Missouri, Western), published as received.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Kenneth E. Barbee Jr., 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 23, 2020, Barbee was found guilty at trial of being a felon in possession a firearm.
Detectives with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department were conducting surveillance on Barbee on March 18, 2020, when he left his residence in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend. After officers stopped the vehicle, the driver attempted to pull away from officers but was forced to stop when officers used their vehicles to block their escape.
When Barbee and the driver were ordered out of the vehicle, officers saw a loaded Palmetto State Armory AR pistol and a loaded CZ 9mm handgun on the front passenger floorboard. The driver of the vehicle had an SCCY 9mm handgun in her waistband.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Barbee has a prior felony conviction for assault, a prior felony conviction for domestic assault, two prior felony convictions for receiving stolen property, and a prior felony conviction for robbery. The robbery involved a violent attack, according to court documents, in which Barbee struck the victim in the face and on the head with a gun after she tried to resist his co-defendant’s efforts to rob her. After beating the victim with his gun, Barbee stole her money, dragged her out of the vehicle, then fled from the scene. Barbee was on absconder status in connection with the robbery when he committed this federal offense.
According to court documents, Barbee also was disciplined while incarcerated at Core Civic Leavenworth for his possession of two homemade metal weapons recovered from under his mattress.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Kate Butterfield, Patrick Edwards, and Gregg Coonrod. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
