Peoria Man Sentenced to Forty Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm as a Felon

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Datreon Linwood, 25, of the 1400 block of West Covington Court, was sentenced on November 17, 2022, to serve 40 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Linwood is required to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that in March 2022 officers conducted a traffic stop of Linwood to investigate a hit and run accident that occurred a month prior. During the traffic stop, officers located a semi-automatic handgun in the front pocket of the hooded sweatshirt Linwood was wearing. The .40 caliber pistol was loaded with a live round of ammunition in the chamber and was equipped with a high-capacity extended magazine loaded with an additional 28 rounds of live ammunition. The firearm was previously reported as stolen in November 2016.

A federal complaint was filed against Linwood in March 2022, and he was indicted a week later.  Linwood entered a guilty plea in July 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a felon at the time of Linwood’s offense were up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in conjunction with the Peoria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Linwood is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results