The United States Attorney's Office

SHAWNEETOWN MAN ARRESTED WITH GUN AT VETERANS AFFAIRS FACILITY IN MARION, ILLINOIS

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on October 9, 2009, MARK N. HARMON, age 29, of Shawneetown, Illinois, was charged in a Criminal Complaint in United States District Court in Benton with one count of Possession of a Firearm on Federal Property with the Intent to Commit a Crime.

The Complaint alleges that in the early morning hours of October 9, 2009, HARMON issued threats to employees of the Veterans’ Affairs Hospital in Marion, Illinois. HARMON then drove to the Marion, Illinois VA Facility. Law enforcement officers stopped HARMON’s vehicle and Harmon was detained and handcuffed. Inside HARMON’s vehicle was a handgun, a magazine loaded to full capacity with 13 rounds of ammunition, and another 13 rounds of loose ammunition loose.

A Criminal Complaint filed by the United States Attorney is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

If convicted, HARMON faces a sentence of imprisonment of up to 5 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release to follow incarceration of up to 3 years. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Veterans Affairs Police Department, the Marion, Illinois Police Department, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George Norwood.