URBANA, Ill. – Kevin Pettis, aka KP, 37, of the 400 block of
South State Street, Champaign, was sentenced today to the maximum 120 months in
federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, as announced by
Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. Pettis has been
in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his federal arrest in
December 2015. Pettis was also ordered to remain on supervised release for
three years following his release from prison.
On July 8, 2016, a jury convicted Pettis following a two-day
trial. During the trial, the government presented evidence to establish that on
July 7, 2013, around 3:18 a.m., Pettis fired a Taurus, .40 caliber
semi-automatic pistol from a vehicle in the parking lot of the Oakwood Trace
Apartments in north Champaign. When a woman reported the shooting, Pettis drove
to his apartment and tried to hide the pistol in his jacket in his apartment.
Officers of the Champaign Police Department arrested Pettis minutes later as he
was walking away from the apartment. After obtaining a search warrant for his
apartment, officers located and recovered the stolen, loaded gun. At the time,
Pettis had seven prior felony convictions. Officers later found gunshot residue
on Pettis’ hand and Pettis’ DNA on the gun, which had been used in another
shooting in Champaign less than a month earlier.
According to court documents, Pettis has twice before shot
other individuals and has three prior felony convictions for aggravated
battery, plus convictions for theft, unlawful possession of a weapon, reckless
discharge of a firearm, possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute it,
and theft. He also has two misdemeanor battery convictions, two DUI
convictions, and convictions for obstructing a peace officer.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L.
Miller. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the
Champaign Police Department investigated the case.
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