Alorton Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced that Travis T. Wells, 33, of Alorton, Illinois, was sentenced on Friday, October 30, 2015, in federal district court, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Wells received a sentence of 42 months in prison, to be followed by one year supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $375 fine.

On January 6, 2015, law enforcement officers received a tip that Wells, who was a wanted individual, was at a residence in Alorton, Illinois. Upon entering the apartment, officers observed an infant on a bed in the upstairs bedroom with Wells. Wells informed the officers that he needed to change the baby’s diaper. Officers then asked Wells to take the infant out of the room and law enforcement officers found a .22 caliber semiautomatic firearm under a sheet on the bed – the very same bed where the baby was laying just moments earlier. Wells subsequently admitted that he owned the gun.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Drucker.