RICHARD CASTRO, d/o/b 3-10-1984, of Branson, pleaded guilty to the class C felony of unlawful possession of a firearm in the Circuit Court of Taney County, on Thursday, November 10, 2016. Circuit Court Judge Laura Johnson accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Castro to serve five (5) years in prison, pursuant to a plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.

On January 3, 2015, Castro had made threats to harm himself, so – with the assistance of Castro’s family – Branson Police conducted a wellness check. When officers contacted Castro at his apartment, Castro was intoxicated and was found with a stolen Ruger handgun in his sweatshirt pocket. Branson Police officers were able to talk Castro into handing-over the handgun without harming himself – or anyone else. Because Castro is a prior convicted felon, and was on supervised probation for a felony case, he was prohibited from possessing any firearms.

In addition to Castro’s prison sentence in this case, his existing felony probation was revoked. The class C felony of unlawful possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a $5,000.00 fine.