A Fulton man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to illegally manufacturing a firearm silencer, possession of the illegally made firearm silencer, and to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
Nathaniel Craig Carroll, 37, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to three charges contained in a November 2017 indictment - illegally manufacturing a firearm silencer, possession of the illegally made firearm silencer, and to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
Carroll admitted he had manufactured a suppressor (or "silencer") after his arrest for harassing a state Children's Division employee who was involved in a state court proceeding regarding the removal of Carroll's children from the home, according to a news release from the Office of the U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Missouri.
A judge in Callaway County determined Oct. 24, 2017, that the case would move toward the permanent removal of the children from Carroll's custody. Immediately after the hearing, Carroll was seen at the Westlake Ace Hardware store in Fulton. A Callaway County deputy was concerned Carroll intended to hurt himself because of what had happened at the hearing.
The deputy followed up with employees at the hardware store to determine what Carroll had purchased, which included several items he used to manufacture a suppressor. Carroll does not have a federal license to manufacture a suppressor.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Carroll's residence Oct. 25, 2017 and found the suppressor on a shelf in the garage next to a bag of suspected marijuana. Another suspected suppressor was found in a gun safe in the residence, along with a rifle threaded to fit the suppressor. This suspected suppressor appeared to have been made from oil filters covered in an adhesive tape, a common method used for homemade "silencers."
In addition to the suppressors, officers found 13 firearms inside the residence, more than 1,000 rounds of assorted ammunition, and significant user amounts of marijuana.
Carroll could face a sentence of up to 120 months in federal prison without parole on each of the three counts. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.