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Press Release

Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Kansas City, Kan., Carjacking Case

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in federal prison on charges arising from an armed robbery and carjacking, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Derrick L. Freeman, 28, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery, one count of carjacking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

In his plea, Freeman admitted that on May 12, 2013, he and his co-defendants went to the home of a Kansas City, Kan., man to buy some synthetic marijuana. Once there, they robbed the man at gunpoint. During the robbery, Freeman fired a handgun and then fled the scene before police arrived.

On May 26, 2013, Freeman and co-defendants walked to a Stop Shop gas station at 6865 State Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., where Freeman suggested they “get a car.” They robbed the driver of a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan of wallet and keys and drove away in the victim’s minivan. When the defendants realized officers had spotted their vehicle they led police on a 17-minute chase at speeds up to 112 miles per hour. The minivan wrecked in a plowed field near Leavenworth Road and North 184th Street in Basehor, Kan., where the defendants fled on foot. Derrick Freeman fired a handgun at a law enforcement officer before being arrested.

Co-defendants include:
Anthony L. Irvin, 19, Kansas City, Kan., who was sentenced to 207 months.
Terry D. Tillman, 26, Kansas City, Kan., who was sentenced to 10 years.
Joe Freeman, 33, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting trial.
Jeffrey B. Jackson, 47, Leavenworth, Kan., who is awaiting trial.

Grissom commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Basehor Police Department, the Edwardsville Police Department, the Bonner Springs Police Department, the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Department and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Tomasic and Trent Krug for their work on the case.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Updated December 15, 2014

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