PB man faces prison for shoplifting ammo

CAPE GIRARDEAU — A Poplar Bluff man faces up to 10 years in federal prison for shoplifting ammo from a local sporting goods store by hiding it under his coat.

Christopher A. Darnell pleaded guilty Thursday as charged to the felony of possession of stolen ammunition before U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., said Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Sorrell.

The agreed upon facts of the case say on April 22, 2019, Poplar Bluff police officers were called to Dunham’s Sporting Goods in the Valley Plaza Shopping Center in response to a report of stolen ammunition.

“While there, they were shown a security video that appeared to show Christopher Darnell walking out of the store, carrying two pails of ammunition out of the store without paying for them,” according to the plea agreement Darnell signed.

Store employees also showed the officers another video, which showed “Darnell taking two additional pails of the same ammunition out of the store later in the day,” the plea agreement further said.

Darnell reportedly carried the ammunition under his coat past an unoccupied set of check-out stands and walked out the front door.

Store employees determined the stolen ammunition was Remington .380-caliber.

“Darnell was stopped by Poplar Bluff officers on April 22, 2019,” the plea agreement further says. “(He) gave an interview in which he admitted that he had stolen the ammunition from the store and reselling some of it to a firearms dealer known as Rhino’s Gun Worx.”

After accepting Darnell’s plea, Sorrell said, Limbaugh set his sentencing for 10:40 a.m. Dec. 3.

At that time, Darnell faces up to 10 years in federal prison.