Centerville Man Sentenced To Prison For Firearm Offense

Demetrius Booker, 28, of Centerville, Illinois, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. Booker was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, a $250 fine, and to serve 1 year of supervised release following imprisonment.

"I hope that cases like this will help send out the message that my office will continue to vigorously prosecute any illegal use of firearms, and that the penalties are severe." said United States Attorney Wigginton.

Court documents establish that on October 19, 2014, officers responded to a report that witnesses observed a male subject armed with a black handgun. Upon arriving at the scene, officers observed the subject jump a fence and toss the handgun. Officers located the subject hiding on the porch of a residential property. A search of the area was conducted and officers located the weapon, which was a 9mm Millennium handgun with an extended magazine containing 19 live rounds.

The investigation was conducted by the East Saint Louis Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hallock.