A man from St. Louis County has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his involvement in a drug robbery and carjacking incident. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp handed down the sentence to Walter C. Moore, who was convicted of using a machine gun during the crimes.
The events unfolded on April 25, 2024, when Moore, aged 20 at the time, arranged to purchase $900 worth of Oxycodone from a woman. During the transaction outside his home, he brandished a handgun and seized the drugs before ordering her out of her 2014 Mazda6 and driving off with it.
Authorities located the stolen vehicle near Chambers Road in St. Louis County shortly after. Upon police arrival, Moore fled on foot but was apprehended quickly after discarding a Glock handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device and other modifications.
Moore had previously been convicted of felonies, which legally barred him from possessing firearms. He later pleaded guilty to multiple charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of violence.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the St. Louis County Police Department alongside the FBI, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone led the prosecution efforts.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The program emphasizes trust-building within communities as well as strategic enforcement priorities to combat violence effectively.