Show-Me State Times

A Lee’s Summit, Missouri man has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing firearms. Jacob A. Stockbridge, 31, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs after being convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms.

The incident occurred on November 20, 2022, when Stockbridge was driving a stolen Ford F-150 truck and ran a traffic light at the intersection of W. 23rd Street and S. Crysler Avenue in Independence, Missouri. He collided with another vehicle, injuring the other motorist who required hospitalization. After the crash, Stockbridge fled the scene carrying a firearm and went to a nearby gas station where he stole a Nissan Altima. He left his wallet containing his Missouri driver’s license and his cell phone in the wrecked F-150.

Police officers investigating the crash discovered three shotguns—two Winchester Model 97, 12-gauge shotguns and one Beretta A391 Extrema 2, 12-gauge shotgun—in the backseat of the F-150. Both the truck and all three firearms had been reported stolen one day prior to the incident. Before this event, Stockbridge had been convicted of ten felony offenses in Missouri.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Independence Police Department.

“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” according to information provided about PSN. “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”