A 32-year-old Galesburg man was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with methamphetamine trafficking. Ricky D. Niswonger Jr plead guilty in April of 2021. He was sentenced Wednesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow to the prison term and three years of supervised release. According to court documents, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on Niswonger's car as part of an investigation into a suspected methamphetamine-trafficking operation. In the car, they found five firearms, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest. Chief Judge Darrow also found that Niswonger had attempted to intimidate a possible witness in his case, which warranted a sentencing enhancement for obstruction of justice. The statutory penalties for being a felon in possession of a firearm are a maximum of 10 year-imprisonment and three year-supervised release. The Galesburg Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation inv
A Monmouth man was sentenced to nearly 10 years of federal prison for the distribution of methamphetamine. 50-year-old Christopher P. Shultz was sentenced this week to 112 months and five years of supervised release after he gets out. Court documents indicate that Shultz was arrested during a traffic stop on July 7, 2019, near Gulfport, in Henderson County, when he was found in possession of 80 grams of pure meth, a Schedule II controlled substance. He was indicted in August of 2020 and pleaded guilty in November of 2021. Statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute are up-to life in prison, a $10,000 fine, and up to life of supervised release. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Gulfport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Thomas Hodges represented the government in the prosecution.