A Belleville man was sentenced in federal court on July 8, 2011, for the unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Shawndell Davenport, 30, of Belleville, IL, was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment, 3 years’ supervised release, fined $300 and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.

“As I have repeatedly stressed, one of my highest priorities, matching a priority of Attorney General Holder, is to get illegally possessed weapons, and the people who carry them, off of our streets. By doing so, all of us are safer in our communities.” said United States Attorney Wigginton.

The facts underlying the conviction in this case were that on October 31, 2009, an East St. Louis Police Officer noted that Davenport was about to park the wrong way on a street, but when Davenport spotted the officer, he kept driving. The officer followed Davenport, who eventually stopped and sat on the front porch of a house. As Davenport began walking away, an officer who arrived for back-up stopped him. When the officer looked into the vehicle that Davenport had been driving, he saw a gun in plain view on the front driver’s seat. Davenport was a previously-convicted felon and admitted possession of the gun to ATF agents.

The case was investigated by the East St. Louis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.

 

 

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