ST. LOUIS – A federal judge sentenced a St. Louis man to six years in prison Wednesday after he was caught with a gun while overdosing on fentanyl more than two years ago.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Derrick Hart pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On March 3, 2020, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department found Hart unconscious on the side of Goodfellow Boulevard, with a stolen 9mm pistol and a large-capacity magazine in his waistband. EMS revived Hart and brought him to the hospital.
Hours after his release from the hospital, prosecutors said Hart beat his then-girlfriend in front of the woman’s 9-year-old daughter. Hart became enraged after he thought he heard the victim say another man’s name during a phone call. The two then struggled over a mop, which broke. Hart then struck the victim in the face with the jagged metal handle.
Prosecutors said Hart has prior felony convictions for drug charges, robbery, and felonious restraint.