A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in a federal bench trial of illegal possession of a firearm.
Dale D. Mitchell, Jr., 46, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The conviction followed an incident on Feb. 12, 2023, when Kansas City police officers encountered Mitchell sitting in his Cadillac XTS in a parking lot at 8025 Hickman Mills Drive.
Officers approached Mitchell, who was in the driver’s seat and instructed him to put the vehicle in park and roll down the window. Instead, Mitchell opened the driver’s door, revealing an open bottle of alcohol in the door panel and a Taurus .38-caliber revolver on his right thigh. Officers seized the firearm and removed Mitchell from the vehicle.
Mitchell’s prior criminal record includes two felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, three felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, one for distribution/delivery of marijuana, one for tampering, and one for robbery. Under federal law, individuals with felony convictions are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
After the trial, U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs found Mitchell guilty of the charges.
Mitchell faces up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The final sentence will be determined by the court during the sentencing hearing, scheduled for Jan. 29, 2025. The sentence will be based on federal advisory guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department investigated the case.
