Peace Garden News

Kadar Udai Pearson, a 21-year-old Fargo resident, has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. This decision was delivered by Chief United States District Judge Peter D. Welte, with the sentence to be served consecutively to any other sentence. Pearson will also face three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024.

Court documents reveal that on June 5, 2024, Fargo Police Department officers were investigating a shots-fired report near the Arbors apartment complex. There, officers saw Pearson wearing a sweatshirt and ski mask in warm weather, with a noticeably heavy object in his pocket. He entered a backyard without the homeowner's permission.

After officers instructed Pearson to stop, he fled, discarding an object under a vehicle which was later identified as a loaded SIG Sauer 9mm pistol. The weapon was previously reported stolen in Fargo. Surveillance cameras confirmed the incident.

At that time, Pearson was on escape status under a sentence from the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for prior felony convictions including possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and theft of a firearm.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which unites different levels of law enforcement and communities to address violent crime and gun violence. The program emphasizes community trust, preventive measures, strategic enforcement, and result measurement.

The Fargo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jacob T. Rodenbiker and Trial Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein handled prosecution duties within the Justice Department's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.