Sikeston man arrested after ShotSpotter alert leads to stolen firearm

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

SIKESTON, Mo. (KBSI) — A Sikeston man was arrested after officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert recovered a stolen firearm, according to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Malcolm during the late evening hours of July 4 after ShotSpotter detected gunfire near the driveway of a residence.

When officers arrived, they saw a man, later identified as 40-year-old Chester Brown of Sikeston, getting out of the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked in the driveway.

While speaking with Brown, officers found several spent shell casings behind the vehicle. A firearm matching the caliber of the shell casings was also seen inside the vehicle, police said.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and seized the firearm. A records check later revealed the gun had been reported stolen from another state.

Brown was arrested and is being held in the Scott County Jail on the following charges:

• Unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class A misdemeanor
• Unlawful possession of a firearm by certain persons, a Class B felony
• Armed criminal action, an unclassified felony
• Stealing, a Class D felony

Police said every ShotSpotter alert is investigated and noted the system is designed to distinguish gunfire from fireworks, even during the Fourth of July holiday.