Ottawa gun plea gets 4-year sentence

One of the two charged in a May shooting in Ottawa – there were no injuries – is on his way to prison and the other wants a trial, now set for early 2024.

Keegan M. Peters, 19, of Ottawa, pleaded guilty Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court to aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony carrying four to 15 years in prison. He was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

A companion case still is pending. Thomas J. Higgins, 45, was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony carrying three to seven years in prison. He is set for trial Jan. 16.

Both were charged following a May 6 shooting in the 300 block of Deleon Street in Ottawa. There were no injuries; but Ottawa police and a La Salle County tactical unit executed a search warrant at Peters’ residence and seized multiple firearms and ammunition plus purported cannabis and cash.