Champaign man gets 6 years for gun found during 2022 traffic stop
Sep. 6—URBANA — A Champaign man who admitted having a gun he could not legally possess has been sentenced to six years in prison.
In exchange for Malcome Pettigrew's guilty plea to unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, the state's attorney's office dismissed other charges in that case of armed violence and possession of cannabis, along with two other felony cases.
Assistant State's Attorney Dan Taylor said Pettigrew, 28, whose last known address was in the 2400 block of West Springfield Avenue, was arrested by an Illinois state trooper who stopped his car on Jan. 14, 2022, at Bradley and McKinley avenues for a traffic violation and could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle.
The trooper searched the car and found a loaded .40-caliber handgun in the trunk as well as about 80 grams of cannabis in three bags. Because of previous convictions for aggravated battery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Pettigrew is not allowed to have a gun.
As part of his plea agreement, other cases in which he was charged with residential burglary, trespass and criminal damage to property for allegedly breaking into an ex-girlfriend's home in Champaign and another in which he was charged with possessing a weapon while having cannabis for sale were dismissed.
He was given credit on his sentence for 284 days already served in jail.
