Topeka Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Charge

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Taron Alonzo Huggins, 24,Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. In his plea, he admitted that the investigation began Jan. 25, 2013, when the Topeka Police Department received a report of a shooting in central Topeka.

Hours after the shooting, police attempted to stop a car carrying Huggins and another man, Michael Whitfield. The vehicle eluded officers by going the wrong way on an off-ramp to Interstate 70. Shortly after officers discontinued the pursuit they were called to an accident at the off ramp involving the car Huggins and Whitfield had occupied.

Officers learned that a .45 caliber pistol had been discarded from the car and left near the scene of the accident. They recovered the gun and arrested Huggins at a restaurant near where the accident occurred. Huggins was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction.

Whitfield was charged separately in Shawnee County District Court.

Huggins is set for sentencing Aug. 19. He faces a penalty of not less than 15 years in federal prison. Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.