KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., area man was found guilty at the conclusion of a bench trial today of illegally possessing a firearm.
Seneca Harrison, 36, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Harrison was in possession of a loaded Maverick by Mossberg 12-gauge pump action pistol grip shotgun.
A Blue Springs, Mo., police officer conducted a traffic stop of Harrison’s vehicle on April 9, 2018. Harrison was driving a silver GMC Yukon eastbound on 40 Highway. When Harrison stopped his vehicle, he got out of the vehicle and began to walk away. The officer told Harrison to return to his vehicle, but Harrison continued walking away. When the officer attempted to detain Harrison, he resisted by pulling away and pushing the officer. During this interaction, the officer observed the strong odor of alcohol coming from Harrison’s breath.
Another officer arrived on the scene and saw the shotgun in the driver’s seat of Harrison’s vehicle. Harrison was arrested. Harrison kicked the rear door of the patrol vehicle while he was being transported to the Blue Springs jail and yelled at the officers. Upon arrival at the jail, Harrison continued to be combative as he threatened and cursed at the officers.
While at the jail, an empty prescription pill bottle that contained residue that field tested positive for methamphetamine was located in Harrison’s cell. Harrison said, “Oh yeah that’s mine. It’s got my name on it.” Harrison continued to be combative and refused to provide a breathe test. He was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital for a blood draw. While at the hospital, Harrison said, “I’m kinda glad you guys got me. You knew I was going to kill someone tomorrow. I was about to go away for a long time.” Harrison uttered this multiple times in various ways.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Harrison has two prior felony convictions burglary and prior felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, stealing, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of marijuana. He was on parole for the unlawful possession of a firearm conviction at the time of the federal offense.
Under federal statutes, Harrison is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough announced the verdict at the close of the trial that began this morning.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Moeder and Ashleigh Ragner. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department.
