Ottawa felon gets 8 years in prison

A parolee wanted for possessing a firearm who was then caught with cocaine was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison.

Justin J. Waterworth, 33, of Ottawa, appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court for the presentation of an agreed upon sentence. He entered a blind plea last month to two felonies, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Waterworth would get eight years in prison for the weapon charge and six years for the cocaine charge. The two prison terms will run concurrently, and Waterworth has the equivalent of about a year’s credit for time served.

Waterworth was picked up July 10 on a La Salle County warrant issued after La Salle police linked him to a gun that may have been used in a shooting Nov. 19, 2022, at Seventh and Crosat streets in La Salle.

Ottawa police tried to serve Waterworth with the warrant, but he fled and had to be subdued. An ensuing search yielded almost 10 grams of cocaine.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. on Wednesday waived Waterworth’s fines and made a finding that his crimes were committed as the result of drug addiction, which makes Waterworth eligible for treatment in the Department of Corrections.