KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man who was injured when his ATV overturned while turning onto a street in Independence, Mo. was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of illegal possession of firearms and methamphetamine .
Melvin L. Carter, 48, was charged with three counts returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. promotion of a drug trafficking offense and one count of being a felony in possession of a firearm.
Carter was arrested on October 14, 2022, when Independence Police officers were called to an address on S. Overton Avenue after Carter was ejected from his ATV as it flipped over while making a turn. Before officers arrived, Independence Firefighters responded to an earlier call to 911 and informed officers that Carter was armed when they arrived at the crash site. They recovered his firearm, a 9mm Keltec pistol, which they handed over to the police officers. Officers found the ATV flipped on its side when they arrived at the scene. Carter was bleeding from the head and was being treated by paramedics.
Police officers checked Carter’s jacket and found a plastic bag that contained about 105 grams of methamphetamine.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to possess firearms or ammunition. Carter has a criminal record for robbery, possession of a controlled substance, sale of a controlled substance, trafficking and resisting arrest.
The charges contained in this indictment are mere allegations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal jury, whose job it is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being pursued by Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. He is being investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and serving communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for all. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy by strengthening PSN based on these core principles: Promote trust and legitimacy in our communities, Support community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place , establish targeted and strategic objectives, priority of application and measurement of results.
