st. joseph man charged with possessing stolen firearms
after burglary at pawn shop
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Joseph, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with possessing stolen firearms that were taken during a recent pawn shop burglary.
Primalton H. Peterson III, 29, of St. Joseph, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, July 12, 2011.
The federal criminal complaint alleges that Peterson was in possession of a stolen Hi-Point .45-caliber pistol and a stolen North American Arms .380-caliber pistol. The firearms were allegedly stolen from Pawn Plus, 603A S. Belt Hwy., St. Joseph.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Peterson broke out the front window of the pawn shop at approximately 12:17 a.m. He threw a black duffel bag through the window and entered the business through the broken window. When police officers arrived, Peterson threw out the duffel bag and exited the pawn shop through the broken window. He left the duffel bag behind on the ground in front of the pawn shop as he fled on foot, but was apprehended after a brief pursuit. The two handguns were found inside the black duffel bag.
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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jalilah Otto. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
