Federal Inmate Sentenced for Possession of a Weapon

INDIANAPOLIS—Kenneth A. Morris, 32, an inmate of the Federal Correctional Complex at Terre Haute (FCC-TH) was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence following his guilty plea to possession of contraband in prison, in this case a "shank" or weapon capable of seriously injuring others. Morris will serve this sentence consecutively to his current sentence for conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This case was the result of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On March 21, 2009, Kenneth A. Morris was an inmate housed in the United States Penitentiary component of FCC-Terre Haute. On that date, he was removed from his cell because he was damaging property within it. During a search, an officer found a weapon within the waistband of Morris's pants. The homemade weapon was a metal object, approximately eight inches in length, sharpened to a point and had cloth attached to the opposite end to serve as a handle.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Lawrence also imposed three years’ supervised release following Morris's release from prison. "The prosecution of prison weapon possession cases is critical to the security of our federal penal institutions," Warden added, "as a protection to other inmates as well as the correctional officers who perform their duties while unarmed."