A man from Missouri whose girlfriend told police about a hidden gun was convicted Thursday by a jury of one charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rodrick Mitchell, 34, of Breckenridge Hills, Missouri, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13 and could face up to 10 years in prison.
On July 9, 2020, Mitchell’s girlfriend went to the Wentzville Police Department and said that she’d just left Mitchell at a hotel after becoming upset with him. Mitchell’s girlfriend said she was afraid of him because he has a temper and was violent. She also told police she wanted to return their rental car but could not because there was a gun under the car’s hood. She told police he had hidden guns there in the past.
Under the hood, officers found a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun near the driver’s side fender and a drum magazine loaded with 38 rounds near the air filter. Mitchell’s DNA was found on the gun.
Mitchell was indicted on March 10, 2021, on the gun charge.
The Wentzville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley M. Walker and Catherine Hoag are prosecuting the case.
