July 31, 2019
Dusty A. McSparran, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 19 years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 6, 2017, McSparran pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Independence, Mo., police officers saw McSparran driving a stolen GMC Acadia at a high rate of speed on Sept. 28, 2016. The officers activated their emergency lights and pursued the vehicle, which did not pull over but continued at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour throughout the city. Officers pursued the vehicle to a parking lot near U.S. 24 Highway and Bennington Avenue in Independence. McSparran jumped out of the driver’s seat and began running. Officers pursued McSparran on foot, deploying their Taser in order to stop McSparran and place him under arrest.
After arresting McSparran, officers found a small black bag in his front pocket that contained 2.5 grams of methamphetamine. Officers found a digital scale and a piece of paper that contained 2.5 grams of methamphetamine inside the vehicle. Officers also found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle.
On June 26, 2017, a confidential law enforcement source made a controlled purchase of approximately seven grams of methamphetamine from McSparran, who was under court supervision, at his residence. Officers executed a search warrant at McSparran’s residence and found a loaded Jimenez Arms 9mm handgun with a defaced and obliterated serial number, a Hi-Point 9mm rifle, and various rounds of ammunition. According to court documents, the firearms were stolen during a home invasion.
Following McSparran’s detention and preliminary hearings at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse on July 5, 2017, he was taken back to one of the holding cells. He immediately approached another detainee, and began physically assaulting him by striking and beating him. McSparran was removed from the cell and relocated to another cell. While in custody on this case, McSparran was found in possession of a metal shank, engaged in multiple fights, and assaulted a corrections officer.
McSparran has 45 prior convictions, including 11 felony convictions involving property damage, conspiracy to defraud the United States, driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest, domestic assault, and possessing controlled substances.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
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.
