Meth-Addicted Barbour Gets 33 Months for Gun Possession

OMAHA, NE – Derek J. Barbour, 35, of Malvern, Iowa, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced today for being an addict in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher handed down a 33-month sentence, with no chance of parole, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

The case unfolded on March 19, 2022, when Omaha police responded to a suspicious activity call at the Double Tree Hotel. Officers found Barbour standing beside a silver GMC Envoy parked in the rear lot, squeezed between a dumpster and a storage container. Her companion, Zachary Younts, was frantically searching the vehicle’s interior.

A quick search revealed a mess. An open bottle of alcohol sat under the driver’s seat, and a black backpack on the passenger side contained a gun holster. Younts, already wanted on an active Sarpy County warrant, was found with a small amount of marijuana and a live .22 caliber round. As a convicted felon, he was already prohibited from possessing either. But the real haul was yet to come.

A full search of the Envoy turned up twelve firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition – all stolen from a residential burglary in Iowa. Meanwhile, a search of Barbour’s purse revealed three plastic baggies filled with over five grams of methamphetamine, unidentified pills, and a hypodermic needle. She freely admitted to a regular methamphetamine habit.

While Barbour faces the consequences of her actions, her accomplice, Zachary Younts, is still awaiting a jury trial in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Prosecutors will likely seek a hefty sentence for Younts, given his prior record and the stolen firearms found in the vehicle. This case is a stark reminder of the dangerous intersection of addiction, illegal firearms, and stolen property plaguing our communities.

U.S. Attorney Steven Russell highlighted that this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. The PSN program emphasizes fostering trust with communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement, and measurable results. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department.