United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing firearms and methamphetamine to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division investigated along with the Springfield, Missouri Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Jacob Winterhawk Ryder, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Springfield police officers noticed suspicious behavior and approached Ryder, the driver of a Ford Ranger that was parked beside another vehicle in a parking lot, on January 21, 2016. When it appeared as if Ryder was attempting to conceal something underneath the front seat, an officer directed him to step out of his vehicle. The officer saw a live round for a 9mm handgun lying on the driver’s seat.

Police officers searched Ryder’s vehicle and found a loaded Walther .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol underneath the armrest, a loaded New England Firearms 20-gauge sawed-off shotgun under the driver’s seat, and more ammunition. Officers also found a black cloth bag with four baggies that contained a total of 63.93 grams of pure methamphetamine, a baggie that contained 17.8 grams of pure methamphetamine, a plastic container that contained 297.6 grams of pure methamphetamine, two LSD tabs, a baggie containing mushrooms, a baggie with unknown pills, and $1,175.

Under federal statutes, Ryder is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.