JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 19-year-old Mt. Vernon man was sentenced Tuesday in Jefferson County Court to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of armed violence.

Codie Jenkins was originally charged last December with Class X felony armed violence and Class 3 felony possession of a firearm by a person ineligible for a FOID.
According to Mt. Vernon police reports from the time, they received a report of an individual with a gun and drugs staying in a vacant apartment. When officers went to the apartment, however, no one was present.

As officers were leaving, they noted a vehicle leaving the parking lot with two young girls inside and a woman nearby informed them she’d seen a man from the apartment wearing a black jacket jump the fence north of the apartment complex.

The officers then report seeing the vehicle from the parking lot but it was now occupied by the two girls and a white male in the backseat wearing a black jacket so they performed a traffic stop on the car.

Officers ultimately took Jenkins into custody following a brief foot pursuit from the traffic stop. They reportedly discovered in his possession 100 grams of cannabis, scales and packaging. They also discovered a 9-millimeter handgun that had been reported as stolen the day before in Centralia.

Jenkins was taken to the Jefferson County Jail where he’s remained since with bond set at $100,000.

Jenkins waived his right to a jury trial and pleaded guilty Tuesday to the amended charge. The underlying indictment was dismissed per the plea agreement and he was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.