Two St. Joseph Residents Sentenced to Federal Prison

KANSAS CITY, MO – Thirty-one-year-old St. Joseph resident Earl Penn was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after being found guilty at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm. St. Joseph Police officers contacted Penn in June of 2020 for outstanding warrants for violations of his federal supervised released. Penn provided a false name and attempted to flee. He also struck an officer in the face multiple times and pulled pepper spray from the officer’s vest. After he was restrained, officer’s found a loaded handgun in Penn’s sweatshirt pouch. Penn was previously convicted for residential burglary, arson, conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and unlawfully carrying a loaded handgun.

Another St. Joseph resident was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for making a bomb threat against the Social Security Administration Field Office in St. Joseph. 32-year old James Curtman pleaded guilty in August, admitted to making the threat over the phone in June, 2021. The field office was closed the next day due to concerns over the bomb threat.