Fairfield Man Sentenced For Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

Michael D. McCullough, 58, of Fairfield, Illinois, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Benton to a term of imprisonment of 12 months and 1 day following his previous guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The indictment charging McCullough with possessing two firearms, a Smith & Wesson .357 caliber revolver and a Freedom Arms .22 caliber revolver, was returned by a Federal Grand Jury on May 8, 2012. It further alleged that the offense occurred on August 28, 2011, and that prior to that date McCullough had been convicted of two felonies in Wayne County Circuit Court. McCullough pled guilty to the indictment on October 4, 2012.

Evidence introduced to support the guilty plea and sentence showed that the firearms were found after a fire broke out in McCullough’s unoccupied residence in Fairfield on August 28, 2011. Police were notified by fire fighters that upon entering the residence to fight the fire, they located 5 marijuana plants growing in an indoor grow operation in McCullough’s bathroom. The Fairfield Police Department secured a search warrant for McCullough’s residence through the Wayne County State’s Attorney’s office and thereafter located and seized the marijuana plants along with the two firearms and several rounds of ammunition from McCullough’s bedroom.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, McCullough was ordered to pay a $1000 fine and $100 special assessment to the United States and was placed on a 2 year term of supervised release to follow his incarceration.

The case was investigated by the Carmi office of the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force and the Fairfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.