Rutland man’s gun seizure trial set for Nov. 13

A Rutland man serving 45 years in prison after he was convicted of weapon and drug charges in Woodford County now awaits trial on companion charges in La Salle County.

David Allen Mays, 42, appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and entered a not guilty plea to three counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony carrying an extended sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

He will stand trial Nov. 13 before Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr., who approved Mays’ request for the services of a public defender. He is next scheduled to appear in court Oct. 19.

Mays was charged Jan. 12 for a stash of guns that was seized from his residence in a Dec. 10 raid. Mays had served part of a 19-year sentence for attempted murder in a 2002 shooting and isn’t legally permitted to have firearms.

A search conducted by Woodford and La Salle county authorities yielded a 12-gauge shotgun, AKS 762 rifle, a rifle fitted with a scope and body armor, which also is forbidden to convicted felons.

The La Salle County charges were held in abeyance while Mays addressed his more serious legal problems in Woodford County. There, he was convicted of armed violence and sentenced to 45 years for possessing methamphetamine and possessing a defaced firearm.