Kadar Udai Pearson, a 20-year-old from Fargo, North Dakota, has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The plea was entered on November 20, 2024, in federal court before Chief United States District Judge Peter D. Welte. Pearson remains detained until his sentencing scheduled for March 17, 2025.
The incident occurred on June 5, 2024, when Fargo Police Department officers responded to the Arbors apartment complex following reports of gunfire. Officers observed Pearson wearing a sweatshirt and ski mask despite warm temperatures. He fled when officers attempted to stop him and was seen discarding what appeared to be a firearm under a vehicle in a nearby parking lot. A SIG Sauer 9mm pistol loaded with ten rounds was recovered at the scene and had been reported stolen.
At the time of the offense, Pearson was an escapee from the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, serving a sentence for previous felony convictions including possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and theft of a firearm.
United States Attorney Mac Schneider emphasized the importance of public safety around the Arbors area: “Public safety in and around the Arbors is a high priority for this office, and when that safety is threatened we will literally make a federal case out of it,” he stated. He further noted that "the cooperation between our career prosecutors, Main Justice, federal law enforcement, and the Fargo Police Department was critical in this case."
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
The investigation involved both the Fargo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jacob T. Rodenbiker along with Trial Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein prosecuted the case within the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section of the Criminal Division at the United States Department of Justice.
