U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. sentenced an Oklahoma man to 10 years in prison for possession of a machine gun and methamphetamine. The sentencing took place on Thursday.
The incident occurred on August 16, 2022, when law enforcement officers from the United States Marshals Service, Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office, and Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force apprehended Darius R. Clark in Kennett, Missouri. At the time of his arrest, Clark had two backpacks with him. One backpack contained a Glock .40-caliber pistol modified into a fully automatic weapon with additional magazines, including one extended capacity magazine loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition. It also held $1,120 in cash. The other backpack contained 84 multicolored tablets of methamphetamine and 17 tablets containing a mix of meth and other controlled substances.
Clark, aged 36 from Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession of a machine gun.
The arrest warrant for Clark was issued following charges related to first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon in Oklahoma City two weeks prior to his arrest. Following his sentencing, Clark will be returned to Oklahoma.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service, Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office, and Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that collaborates across various levels of law enforcement and communities to curb violent crime and gun violence while enhancing neighborhood safety. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, aimed at strengthening PSN through fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.