KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was charged in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after he was seen with a handgun while outside the Operation Breakthrough day care facility.

Midge A. Pollard, 55, of Kansas City, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in a criminal complaint that was filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Pollard was seen standing outside Operation Breakthrough, a day care facility at 3039 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Mo., at about 9:25 a.m. today. Pollard had a large knife in a black sheath on his hip, according to a witness, who saw Pollard sit down next to an orange construction cone and lift his shirt to remove a silver handgun from his waistband. Pollard placed the handgun underneath the cone and began walking away, the affidavit says, which is when the witness called the police.

Kansas City police officers saw Pollard walking toward the construction cone where the firearm was reported to have been placed, and took him into custody. Officers found a silver Ruger .357-caliber revolver laying on the ground under the cone. Pollard had 12 rounds of ammunition in his front pants pocket and a Buck knife with a 6-inch-long blade in a sheath under his shirt.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Pollard, who had an arrest warrant for a probation violation, has two prior felony convictions for burglary, a prior felony conviction for stealing and a prior felony conviction for drug possession.

Phillips cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Ceasefire
Project Ceasefire, launched in October 1999, is a cooperative initiative by federal and local law enforcement and the Kansas City Crime Commission that targets for federal prosecution persons who unlawfully use or possess firearms.

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