SPRINGFIELD, MO – Antowan L. Wade, 45, of Springfield, Missouri, is headed back to federal prison for 15 years after a judge slammed him with a hefty sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, reflects Wade’s extensive criminal history, qualifying him as an armed career criminal.
The bust went down on May 9, 2022, when U.S. Probation Officers, keeping tabs on Wade after his release from a previous federal stretch for bank robbery, raided his apartment. Under a pillow on his bed, they found a Canik55 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition. For a convicted felon, that’s a one-way ticket back to lockup.
Wade didn’t contest the charges, pleading guilty on August 3, 2023, to the single count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. But his past is a mile long and paved with felonies. Beyond the bank robbery that initially landed him in federal prison, Wade also has convictions for robbing a Best Buy in Joplin, Missouri, counterfeiting currency, and burglary. It’s a pattern of disregard for the law, and the judge clearly took it into account.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark prosecuted the case, built on the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The feds are touting this case as a win for Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by bringing together law enforcement and communities.
But in Springfield, those programs often feel like band-aids on a gaping wound. Wade’s case isn’t an isolated incident; it’s a symptom of a deeper problem. A career criminal repeatedly cycling through the system, despite multiple felony convictions. Fifteen years might keep him off the streets for a while, but the question remains: will it be enough to break the cycle?
The Department of Justice, through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, emphasizes the importance of enforcing laws prohibiting felons from possessing firearms. They claim it’s about making neighborhoods safer. But for residents of Springfield, a city grappling with its share of violent crime, it’s a constant struggle to feel secure, regardless of how many years are added to a criminal’s sentence. The ATF Kansas City Field Division led the investigation.
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