Derrick Hart, Gun Charge, Missouri 2020

A St. Louis man has been sentenced to six years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Derrick Hart, 43, pleaded guilty in May to the charge in U.S. District Court, according to federal prosecutors. Hart admitted to possessing a stolen 9mm pistol and a large-capacity magazine on March 3, 2020, when he was found unconscious on the side of Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis with the gun in his waistband.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers responded to the scene after Hart was revived by EMS and taken to the hospital. A few hours later, Hart viciously beat his then-girlfriend in front of her 9-year-old daughter, according to a sentencing memo. Hart became enraged when he thought the victim said another man’s name during a phone call and struck her in the face. The two then struggled over a mop, which broke, and he hit her twice in the face with the jagged metal handle.

Hart’s prior felony convictions include drug charges, robbery, and felonious restraint. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police, St. Louis County Police, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.

A sentencing memo revealed that a few hours after his release from the hospital, Hart viciously attacked his then-girlfriend. He struck her in the face after becoming enraged, then struggled over a mop with the victim. The struggle resulted in the mop breaking, and he hit her twice in the face with the jagged metal handle.

Hart’s prior convictions include drug charges, robbery, and felonious restraint. The violent attack on his girlfriend is the latest in a string of incidents that has led to his six-year prison sentence.

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel handed down the sentence on Wednesday. According to the sentencing memo, Hart pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted to possessing the stolen 9mm pistol and large-capacity magazine on March 3, 2020. The crime occurred in St. Louis, Missouri.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police, St. Louis County Police, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case. The sentencing memo revealed that Hart has a history of violent behavior, including the attack on his girlfriend.

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