Man convicted of gun and drug offenses

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – A man accused of pistol-whipping a person at a Kennett store was convicted of gun and drug charges in federal court Thursday, Sept. 26.

Joshua A. Morris, 39, of southeast Missouri, was sentenced in federal court in Cape Girardeau to 110 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Morris admitted to being caught with two handguns and methamphetamine during a traffic stop by the Dunklin County Sheriff's Office on February 20, 2023.

Morris was also accused of having a bag of marijuana, meth and a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the hood of his car on June 11, 2023, when Kennett police were investigating a report that he hit a person at a store with the pistol whipped.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Morris has a criminal record that prohibits him from owning a firearm.

The Dunklin County Sheriff's Office and Kennett Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

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