Franklin County man gets 3 years on weapons charge

MARION - A 26-year-old Franklin County man - Jeremy Upton - pleaded guilty in Williamson County Circuit Court Monday to one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

On March 24, 2018, after a high-speed chase, Upton was arrested on charges of fleeing Herrin police officers.

Once searched, Upton was found to be in possession of a handgun. Due to a previous felony conviction in Franklin County, Upton was charged for possessing the gun.

In addition to three years in the DOC, Upton will be under mandatory supervised release for one year following his release.

The investigation was handled by the Herrin Police Department. Assistant State's Attorney Sean DeMello led the prosecution of this case.

"So often, we see suspects who have committed crimes in several Southern Illinois counties," said Williamson County State's Attorney Brandon Zanotti, "Here, we have a case with a previous conviction out of Franklin County. The suspect knew he should not have a weapon in his possession. He runs from officers and they successfully detain him without incident. We are grateful for the training officers in this county undergo to handle every scenario. Herrin Police officers did a great job minimizing the risk of injuring other motorists and now we have another criminal off the streets."