East St. Louis Man Sentenced For Firearm Offense

Darral C. Morris, 35, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced in federal district court on September 25, 2015, to 180 months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $750 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.

"Again, I would warn convicted felons – possess a weapon and you will do hard federal time." noted United States Attorney Wigginton.

Court proceedings revealed that on August 8, 2013, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Detail patrolling in the Metro East Area observed two vehicles at a gas station in East St. Louis parked next to one another other, with neither vehicle obtaining fuel. Officers, believing a drug transaction to be occurring, approached the vehicles. Upon seeing law enforcement officers, Morris, the driver of one of the vehicles, placed what appeared to be several pieces of crack in his mouth. After being removed from the car, Morris’ saliva tested positive for cocaine. The officers searched his vehicle and found a loaded .9mm semi-automatic pistol between the driver’s seat and center console.

This investigation was conducted by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Drucker.