DECATUR — A convicted Decatur drug dealer with a string of previous convictions — and who is currently on parole — is in fresh trouble after the cops say they caught him armed with illegal weapons.
A sworn affidavit from the Decatur Police Department said 45-year-old Jack Davis Jr. was arrested Dec. 2 after the car he was a passenger in, and registered to him, was pulled over by patrol officers.
Davis
A police dog had alerted them to the presence of drugs and, while searching the car, the affidavit said the cops found loaded .40 caliber and .22 caliber semi-automatic handguns; the .22 weapon checked back as being stolen from a Decatur owner.
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Officer Tanner Brummitt, who signed the affidavit, said police kept digging their way through the vehicle and came up with burnt cannabis residue and more residue that tested positive for cocaine.
“Two fentanyl test strip packages were located in the trunk,” added Brummitt, who said police also seized two cellphones belonging to Davis.
“Jack shows to be a convicted felon, released on parole, and he has no FOID card or concealed carry license,” Brummitt said.
A check of prison records shows that Davis was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July 2011 after being convicted of dealing cocaine in Kane County. In addition, he received another six years for a separate charge of drug dealing and another two years for violation of the Violent Offender Against Youth registration laws.
The defendant was paroled June 11, 2021, and his long criminal record lists previous convictions for five drug dealing offenses. His record also includes convictions out of Cook County for the aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated kidnapping.
“Jack was previously arrested by the Decatur Police Department on July 11 (2023) and is currently out on bond for the following charges from that arrest: meth delivery, possession of meth and possession of a controlled substance,” Brummitt added.
The new charges after the Dec. 2 Decatur traffic stop include armed violence, being an armed habitual criminal and a felon in possession of a weapon. The defendant was also charged with the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
Davis was ruled too dangerous to be released under the new no-cash bail law and appeared in Macon County Circuit Court Dec. 13, pleading not guilty to all charges.
He remains in the custody of the Macon County Jail and is due back in court for a pretrial hearing Feb. 7.
President Joe Biden, in cooperation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced new international measures to combat the worldwide spread of fentanyl Wednesday.In a press conference following a summit with Chinese President Xi on Wednesday, President Biden announced a bilateral deal with China that will target Chinese chemicals and equipment that go into fentanyl production.”We are restarting cooperation between the United States and the PRC to counter narcotics,” President Biden said Wednesday night. “A lot of people are dying. More people in the United States between the ages of 18-49 die from fentanyl than from guns, car accidents or any other cause, period.””Today, with this new understanding, we’re taking action to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses from China to the Western Hemisphere. It’s going to save lives,” Biden said. “President Xi and I tasked our teams to maintain a policy and law enforcement coordination going forward to make sure it works.”SEE MORE: Scripps News Investigates: The silent toll of the fentanyl epidemicThe CDC says drug overdose deaths have increased more than sevenfold from 2015 to 2021. In 2021, more than 70,000 people in the U.S. died from an overdose that involved fentanyl, the highest number ever recorded. Health officials predict 2023 will be worse.The drug was first introduced in the United States in the early 1960s as an anesthetic. China’s involvement today comes from the country’s massive chemical production. U.S. officials have called for international action and increased cooperation against the trafficking of fentanyl and its precursors.”When one government aggressively restricts the precursor chemical, traffickers simply buy it elsewhere. When one country closes off a transit route, traffickers quickly shift to another,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July. “This is the definition of a problem that no country can solve alone.”President Biden is expected to discuss more international cooperation against trafficking with Mexican officials next week.
2023 mugshots from the Herald & Review
Lourash
Jeffrey L. Lourash, 57, took a plea deal on April 6, 2023, and admitted the first degree murder of his wife Tabitha Lourash, who was shot to death November 23 in their Warrensburg home. Lourash was sentenced in May of 2023 to 45 years in prison, to be served at 100%.
Hirstein
Steven L. Hirstein, 43, was arrested March 30, 2023, and booked on preliminary charges of attempted murder for a stabbing attack on his girlfriend. He is also charged with aggravated battery to police after allegedly attacking officers with a knife. He was shot and wounded several times by police but his wounds were not considered serious.
Phillip Gehrken
Phillip J. Gehrken, 52, of Forsyth, was sentenced to 50 years in prison March 28, 2023, after being convicted of the murder of 51-year-old victim Kevin Cooper on July 11, 2021.
Joseph A. Williams
Joseph A. Williams, convicted of the attempted murder of a Decatur Police officer, was sentenced 80 years in prison in June of 2023.
Jetrevius O. Jarrett
Jetrevius O. Jarrett is charged with first degree murder for allegedly shooting to death the photographer that took his family’s Christmas pictures in 2021.
Edwards
Cameron C. Edwards, 19, of Cerro Gordo was sentenced to nine years in prison April 4, 2023, after pleading guilty to the unlawful possession of a stolen gun, attempted escape and burglary. He was part of a theft team that stole guns from cop cars.
King-Woods
Traveon Hightower King-Woods, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison March 22, 2023, after he admitted a charge of aggravated robbery. Police said he robbed a victim at gunpoint but then had to flee for his life when the victim chased him in a car. King-Woods accomplice and brother, Amieron L. Barham-Perkins, 20, pleaded guilty to an aggravated robbery charge and was sentenced to five years on January 17, 2023.
Wilson
Tyler J. Wilson, 23, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Macon County Circuit Court April 26, 2023, after pleading guilty to a charge of armed violence.
Derrickson
Tiyren E. Derrickson, 28, was sentenced to eight years in prison May 18, 2023, after pleading guilty to a charge of burglary. He had raided the same Decatur church on consecutive days and stolen equipment valued at more than $20,000.
Colby J. Park
Colby J. Park, 25, was sentenced to a 24 month conditional discharge and ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life after pleading guilty to the aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 6-year-old boy by biting the child. The offense dates to October 7, 2018, and Park was sentenced May 19 of 2023.
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid