Appeals court denies Columbia man’s request for new trial over gun possession
EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of this story incorrectly said a man had filed an appeal of his Boone County conviction. The appeal was ruled on and the story has been corrected to show where his appeal stands.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -
An appeals court upheld a conviction for a Columbia man on Tuesday that claimed police racially profiled him when arresting him.
Thomas Higgs appealed his conviction for unlawful possession of a weapon based on four points:
- the arresting officer racially profiled Higgs,
- the circumstances did not support a finding of reasonable suspicion for the stop,
- the arresting officer's actions were not consensual and constituted a seizure, and
- no Miranda warning
A Boone County judge found him guilty in 2020 following a bench trial.
On Dec. 31, 2018, Higgs was arrested after an investigation by Columbia police into a stolen bicycle. During the arrest, Higgs had drugs and a gun on him.
