KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Chicago, Illinois, man who was arrested
while driving through northern Missouri was sentenced in federal court today
for possessing nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine to distribute.
Kevin M. Phyfiher, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge
Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 29, 2019, Phyfiher pleaded guilty to one count of
possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. A Missouri State
Highway Patrol trooper stopped the Dodge Caravan Phyfiher was driving on
Interstate 29 in Andrew County, Missouri, on May 8, 2017. In addition to
Phyfiher, co-defendant Donta Mosley, 27, of Chicago, was in the cargo area of
the van, and there were two female passengers. Phyfiher was not identified as a
lawful driver of the vehicle, which had been rented by his cousin (who was not
present).
Officers directed Phyfiher and the passengers to get out of
the van while they deployed a police support canine. Mosley, who had a handgun
in his waistband, was arrested. The others were instructed to get on the ground
during the search. Phyfiher then fled, running into the underbrush, and law
enforcement officers were unable to find him. During a later search of the
vehicle, officers found two plastic baggies that contained a total of 907 grams
of methamphetamine.
The next day, a vehicle was reported as stolen from Jesse’s
Last Stop Gas Station in Andrew County. At about 6:19 a.m., a state trooper saw
Phyfiher driving the stolen vehicle on 36 Highway. The trooper attempted to
stop the vehicle and Phyfiher attempted to evade the officer. After several
miles of pursuit at high rates of speed, the stolen vehicle was stopped by
spike strips that were deployed in the road by other law enforcement officers.
Phyfiher, who surrendered and was arrested, told officers, “I should have
stayed in the bushes.”
Investigators discovered several live stream video
recordings taken by Phyfiher in the days before his arrest. The videos show
Phyfiher on a road trip to Las Vegas and California. In one of the videos,
Phyfiher and Mosley are holding large stacks of money. In another video,
Phyfiher refers to getting some “Cali dope.”
Mosley was sentenced on Jan. 30, 2019, to five years and
four months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to being a
felon in possession of a firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey
Alford. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the
Missouri State Highway Patrol.
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