Phelps County Felon Caught with Guns and Methamphetamine Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

Phelps County, Mo. (KFMO) ​- A Phelps County man, 42-year-old Clifford Pankey is facing 15 years in prison after being sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court.

Pankey was caught with guns and methamphetamine and pled gulity in July to distributing meth, making meth, and possessing numerous firearms as a convicted felon, including stolen and defaced firearms. Law enforcement officers conducting a search of Pankey’s home south of St. James January 26th of 2023 encountering Pankey, who admitted possessing meth and guns.

Officers found a .22 caliber revolver with a partially defaced serial number, a defaced Ruger.380 caliber semiautomatic pistol, three rifles, four pistols and a shotgun. They also found stolen property and about 230 grams of meth that Pankey said he intended to sell.

The case was investigated by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.