A former longtime detective with the St. Joseph Police Department, Scott Thomas Coates, 42, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty in federal court today to withholding information about a prohibited person who illegally possessed a firearm used in a gang-related shooting.
Coates pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to the felony charge of misprision of a felony.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Coates was forced to resign from the St. Joseph Police Department and may never be employed in any law enforcement-related job in the future.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that Coates had knowledge that Corey Andrew Barr was in illegal possession of a firearm, but failed to inform his superior officers of that offense when they asked him about Barr’s conduct.
Under federal law, Barr was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his domestic violence conviction.
The handgun was returned to Barr on Sept. 1, 2010. Barr was arrested on Sept. 7, 2010, when St. Joseph police officers responded to a disturbance call involving people with firearms, including assault rifles.
Coates’s superior officers directly questioned him about Barr’s conduct during a gang-related shooting on Oct. 18, 2007, near 22nd and Messanie in St. Joseph.
Barr brandished a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun and repeatedly fired at other persons during the shootout.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of probation.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson and Deputy U.S. Attorney Gene Porter.
It was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the cooperation of officers from the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department.
The defendant/respondent is Scott Thomas Coates.
The exact criminal charges are misprision of a felony.
The city and state are St. Joseph, Missouri.
The exact date is between Oct. 24, 2007, and Sept. 7, 2010.
The sentence or outcome is a recommendation of a sentence of probation.
Related Federal Cases
- Amy Kay Thomas, Kidnapping Conspiracy and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Missouri 2020 · Florida
- Kenneth Jordan, Illegal Firearm Possession, Missouri 2023 · Kansas
- Harris Ceaser III, Possession of a Firearm as an Unlawful Drug User, Missouri 2008 · Iowa
- Malik Rashod Miller, Felon with Firearm, Missouri 2024 · Kansas
- Amy Kay Thomas, Kidnapping Conspiracy and Gun Charge, Missouri 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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