A Clay County man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after a pistol fell out of his pant leg at a casino table and he turned it on nearby employees while high on PCP. David Lidge was sentenced for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the April 2024 incident; he was later arrested in Arizona.
According to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, Lidge was playing a table game at a Clay County casino on April 14, 2024, when a black pistol fell from his right pant leg onto the casino floor. He then pointed the weapon at several casino employees before walking away from the table, the station reported. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers disarmed him and took him into custody without injury, according to police, who said Lidge displayed erratic behavior and admitted to officers that he had taken PCP before heading to the casino.
The Gaming Division's Role
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Gaming Division, established May 1, 1994, works under a memorandum of understanding with the Missouri Gaming Commission and performs enforcement and public-safety functions at casinos.
That on-site presence is not unusual for Clay County, which is home to two of those 13 licensed casino properties — Harrah's North Kansas City and Ameristar Casino Kansas City.
A Prior Felony Raised the Stakes
Lidge had a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance, meaning he was not legally allowed to have a firearm in the first place. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 571.070, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a Class D felony carrying 1 to 7 years in prison, but that exposure escalates to a Class C felony punishable by 3 to 10 years when the defendant has prior drug or dangerous felony convictions, according to the Hartley Law Firm. Separately, Missouri law also prohibits unlawful use of a weapon.
The Fugitive Hunt That Followed
Lidge did not stick around to face those charges right away. He landed on Clay County's newly established Top 10 Most Wanted list, a multi-agency program launched in May 2026 by the Clay County Prosecutor's Office alongside the Clay County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers, as reported by KearneyCountry.com. The initiative offers up to $3,000 in cash rewards for anonymous tips that lead to fugitive arrests.
In June 2026, Lidge was arrested in Maricopa County, Arizona, and held without bond before waiving extradition to face local charges.
Additional Legal Exposure for Felons With Guns
Beyond the state charges Lidge faced, felons caught with firearms can also run into federal trouble. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) imposes a parallel lifetime prohibition against firearm possession for convicted felons, carrying a base federal penalty of up to 10 years, with a 15-year mandatory minimum for defendants who qualify under the Armed Career Criminal Act, according to Rose Legal Services. Missouri law also recognizes Armed Criminal Action as an enhancement requiring an underlying felony.
