KC Man Indicted for Illegal Firearms, Meth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing almost two kilograms of methamphetamine and four firearms.

Jonathan D. Beaton, 41, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Aug. 29. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint filed against Beaton on Aug. 8, 2019.

Today’s indictment charges Beaton with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Beaton was stopped by law enforcement officers this summer.

On Aug. 7, 2019, detectives with the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Independence Police Department conducted surveillance of Beaton as he visited the residence of a known methamphetamine trafficker. Detectives followed Beaton (who had an active warrant for his arrest) from the residence and stopped his vehicle. When Beaton got out of the vehicle, an officer saw several large plastic bags on the driver’s seat that contained methamphetamine, and placed Beaton under arrest.

An officer searched Beaton and found 11 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket. An officer searched Beaton’s vehicle and found four gallon-sized clear plastic bags, which contained a total of nearly 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, and $1,228. The officer also found four firearms in the vehicle – two Kimber .45-caliber pistols, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Beaton has three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, tampering, burglary, and escape.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.