Kadar Udai Pearson, a 20-year-old resident of Fargo, North Dakota, has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The plea was entered on November 20, 2024, before Chief United States District Judge Peter D. Welte. Pearson remains in custody pending his sentencing on March 17, 2025.
The incident leading to Pearson's arrest occurred on June 5, 2024. Fargo Police Department officers were investigating a shots-fired report near the Arbors apartment complex when they noticed Pearson wearing a sweatshirt and ski mask despite warm temperatures. Observing something suspicious in his sweatshirt pocket and seeing him enter a backyard without permission from the homeowner, officers instructed him to stop. Pearson fled but was seen discarding what appeared to be a firearm under a vehicle during the chase.
Surveillance footage confirmed the action, and officers recovered a SIG Sauer 9mm pistol loaded with ten rounds beneath the vehicle. The weapon had been reported stolen in Fargo.
At that time, Pearson was considered an escapee by the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation due to previous felony convictions for Possession with Intent to Deliver Fentanyl and Theft of a Firearm.
United States Attorney Mac Schneider emphasized public safety concerns around the Arbors area: “Public safety in and around the Arbors is a high priority for this office, and when that safety is threatened we will literally make a federal case out of it.” He highlighted collaboration between prosecutors and law enforcement agencies as key to this case's progress.
The investigation involved efforts from both local police and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jacob T. Rodenbiker along with Trial Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein prosecuted the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). This initiative focuses on reducing violent crime through strategic enforcement priorities while fostering community trust.