Rock Island, Ill. - A federal grand jury has returned indictments charging five individuals in separate cases in the Central District of Illinois, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis. The indictments had remained sealed pending the defendants’ arrests and court appearances. Alejandro Lopez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley on Friday, April 1, 2016, in Peoria, and the other four defendants appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen B. Jackson, Jr. in Rock Island. After the hearings, all five defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
Kirk Curtis Bryner, 61, of the 200 block of North Street, Neponset, Ill., is charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun on Jan. 1, 2016, and possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. If convicted of both charges, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison.
Dimitri Miles Lopez, 28, of the 600 block of Cole Street, Kewanee, Ill., is charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun on Dec. 2, 2015; possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and distribution of methamphetamine on June 18, 2015 and July 13, 2015. If convicted of all charges, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
Alejandro M. Lopez, 30, of the 700 block of 12th Street, Moline, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine on Dec. 1, 2015. If convicted of both charges, the statutory maximum penalty is 60 years in prison.
Heath Aaron Petty, 28, of the 300 block of Olive Street, Toulon, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 25, 2015 and on Dec. 3, 2015; and unlawful possession of a hand gun on Dec. 3, 2015, after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. If convicted of all charges, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
Kristina Rachel Johnson, 26, of the 600 block of 11th Street, Kewanee, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Jan. 11, 2016. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
The charges are the result of investigations by the Illinois State Police’s Blackhawk Area Task Force, the Kewanee Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
