MT. VERNON — According to information received from the office of Jefferson County State’s Attorney Douglas R. Hoffman, Bryon L. Liddell, 41 of Mt. Vernon pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to Unlawful Possession with the Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance, a class X felony, and was sentenced to serve twelve years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release.

In addition, Liddell pleaded guilty to a class two felony charge of Unlawful Possession of Weapons by a Felon, and was sentenced to five years in prison. That sentence will run concurrent with his drug sentence.

On August 5, 2015, the Mt. Vernon Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office High Risk Team executed a search warrant on a residence in Mt. Vernon’s Country Heights Neighborhood. Liddell was present when police raided the home. During the search, police found over fifty grams of cocaine and crack cocaine, cannabis, digital scales and other drug packaging materials. Police also recovered a loaded handgun at the residence. A co-defendant was also taken into custody following the search and his case is still pending.

Hoffman stated, “With the help of our dedicated police force, we have removed this drug dealer from our streets. We will not let up in addressing the illegal drug trade that continues to plague our community.”