Kearney man convicted of ammunition possession

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – A Kearney man was convicted Tuesday of possessing ammunition while carrying drugs and being a felon.

Joseph Luis Garcia, 31, of Kearney, was convicted in federal court in Lincoln of illegal possession of ammunition, according to the Justice Department.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Garcia to four years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Once released from prison, Garcia will begin a three-year period of supervised release.

On February 10, 2022, Garcia was driving a vehicle that was stopped by police in Buffalo County. Garcia admitted to having methamphetamine in his pocket, which an officer found when he was searched.

The Justice Department said officers then searched the car Garcia was driving. A digital scale and a glass pipe were reportedly found in the trunk of the vehicle, and a black bag was found in the back seat. Inside the bag, police found 9mm ammunition. Garcia was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was an illegal user of controlled substances and because of prior convictions for serious crimes.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Kearney Police Department.

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