United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Marshfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Kyle R. Evans, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On May 23, 2022, Evans pleaded guilty to 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.

On June 18, 2017, a Greene County sheriff’s deputy saw Evans driving a motorcycle northbound on West Bypass near the intersection with Nichols Street. Evans was speeding and driving erratically, and the deputy followed him from a distance. Nichols turned the corner from Eldon Street onto Nichols Street at a high rate of speed and slid into a Ford pickup truck. The deputy saw a Glock firearm lying on the road near where Evans was laying. The deputy detained Evans and searched him. Evans had $1,000 in one pocket, $633 in another pocket, and a nylon pistol holder tucked into his front waistband. Officers also found a motorcycle bag in the crash debris that contained several baggies with a total of five grams of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Evans has prior felony convictions for domestic assault, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possessing a chemical with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, distributing a controlled substance, assault, armed criminal action, tampering with a motor vehicle, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and conspiracy to tamper with a witness in a felony prosecution.

According to court documents, Evans fled from law enforcement officers on Aug. 24, 2017, and left a firearm in the vehicle he had been driving. On Sept. 27, 2017, he again fled from officers in a high-speed chase. His vehicle was later found in a field with a firearm between the center console and passenger seat.

On Nov. 16, 2017, Evans shot a victim identified as “K.B.” while stealing his motorcycle. According to court documents, Evans conspired to tamper with a witness while he was in custody after being arrested. Evans was convicted of the shooting and motorcycle theft in Greene County, Mo., and sentenced to 20 years in state prison. He is currently incarcerated in that case and will serve his state sentence concurrently to the sentence in this federal case.

Evans is also serving a 15-year state sentence after pleading guilty to distributing a controlled substance in Webster County, Mo., and also will serve that sentence concurrently to the sentence in this federal case.

During his time in state prison, according to court documents, Evans joined a violent prison gang, the Southwest Honkys. During a drug investigation involving members of the Honkys in 2017, Evans was caught on a wire threatening to harm an individual he believed had cooperated with police.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.