A Kansas City, Mo., man who was injured when his ATV flipped over while making a turn on an Independence, Mo., street was indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing firearms and methamphetamine.
Melvin L. Carter, 48, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment charges Carter with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Carter was arrested on Oct. 14, 2022, when Independence police officers were called to an address on S. Overton Avenue after Carter was ejected from his ATV as it flipped over while making a turn. Prior to the officers’ arrival, the Independence Fire Department responded to an earlier 911 call and informed officers that Carter had been armed when they arrived at the scene of the accident. They retrieved his firearm, a Keltec 9mm pistol, which they turned over to the police officers. Officers found the ATV flipped on its side when they arrived at the scene. Carter was bleeding from his head and being treated by paramedics.
Police officers checked Carter’s jacket and found a plastic baggie that contained approximately 105 grams of methamphetamine.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Carter has prior felony convictions for robbery, possession of a controlled substance, sale of a controlled substance, trafficking, and resisting arrest.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
