JERRY E. HUTCHASON, d/o/b 11-14-1966, of Branson, was sentenced on Thursday, May 19, 2016, to five (5) years in prison for possession of a short-barreled shotgun, a class C felony. Taney County Associate Circuit Court Judge Eric Eighmy accepted Hutchason’s guilty plea and sentenced Hutchason pursuant to a plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.

On April 11, 2016, Branson Police responded to an apartment at 2438 Fall Creek Road, to investigate a domestic disturbance involving a firearm. Police arrived, made contact with the complaining witness, and coaxed Hutchason out of the apartment. A shotgun with a 14-inch barrel – showing obvious signs of having been sawed-down from a longer length – was recovered from where Hutchason had been sitting inside the apartment. A barrel length of less than 18-inches, or an overall length of less than 23-inches for a shotgun is illegal.

The maximum penalty for a class C felony is seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a $5,000.00 fine.