East St. Louis Man Sentenced On Firearm Offense

Detrin C. Spraggins, 46, of East St. Louis, IL, was sentenced in federal district court on June 6, 2013, to 24 months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $200 fine, for 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.

Facts presented in court revealed that on February 15, 2012, law enforcement officers patrolling in East St. Louis, Illinois, observed individuals standing around a pickup truck parked across the street from an apartment building. As officers drove closer, the driver of the pickup truck, later identified as Spraggins, closed the driver’s door and quickly sped off. Other officers stopped Spraggins when he pulled into a driveway. Spraggins consented to a body search, where contraband was discovered. This find led to an officer opening the door of the pickup to look for additional contraband. As he did so, he noticed the butt of a firearm sticking out of the driver’s side door pocket.

The case resulted from the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. The WAVE Task Force receives financial support through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide federal program which endeavors to address gun-related violence.

This investigation was conducted by the WAVE Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.