4 charged with conspiring to steal guns from 6 gun shops in Illinois, including in Spring Valley

Four Peoria residents were charged with conspiring to steal firearms from six different locations in central Illinois between Aug. 14 and 18, including a gun dealer in Spring Valley.

Terrence Daniels, 23, Dezmond Hardy, 22, Erika Garner, 21, and Shaleik Ward, 19, each are charged with a count of conspiring to steal guns from a federal firearms licensee.

As alleged in the complaint affidavit, police officers were dispatched Aug. 14 to an attempted burglary at Mean Metal, a gun dealer in Spring Valley, and discovered a glass window of the business had been shattered.

On Aug. 15, officers responded to an attempted burglary at Powder Keg Outfitters, a gun dealer in Taylorville. As with the first attempt burglary, officers discovered that a glass window on the business had been shattered, according to the complaint.

Additional attempted burglaries were reported at Guns and Glory in Le Roy, Tactical Bunker in Lincoln, Archers Alley in Decatur and Smiley’s Sport Shop in Bloomington.

All four suspects were arrested Aug. 18, and the complaint and affidavit were unsealed at their Aug. 21 court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley in Peoria. At the conclusion of their respective hearings, all four were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.

If convicted of conspiring to steal firearms, each defendant faces up to five years of imprisonment. The charges also carry up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

The arrests followed a joint investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, including agency members of the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force as well as the Spring Valley Police Department, the Taylorville Police Department and the Peoria Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna.