Danville men sentenced in separate cases of unlawful gun possession

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — In two unrelated cases, two men from Danville have been sentenced to five and nine years in prison for possessing guns that they were not allowed to have.

The Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office said 37-year-old Michael Townsell and 20-year-old Jayuonta Cunningham both have criminal history that made them ineligible to possess a gun. But officers found both of them to be armed in two separate incidents: one in 2022 and one in March of this year.

Evidence presented in court during Townsell’s sentencing on Thursday showed that on Oct. 21, 2022, police were dispatched to Williams Street in Danville for a report of a pedestrian with a gun. Near the reported location, officers found Townsell, who matched the suspect description, and a search found a loaded gun in his pocket.

Townsell was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, which he pleaded guilty to. He was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by one year of parole.

The next day, Cunningham was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a weapon while being ineligible for a FOID card. He was arrested on March 12, 2024, after officers responded to Tennessee Avenue for a report of shots being fired. After determining shots were fired from a home, officers searched it and found two guns in Cunningham’s dresser.

Cunningham also pleaded guilty to the charge against him. After release from prison, he will spend six months on parole.

Jacqueline Lacy, the Vermilion County State’s Attorney, thanked the Danville Police Department for their efforts in both cases and their assistance in holding both men accountable.

“Community safety is the common goal of all law enforcement agencies,” Lacy said. “My office will continue to work with police officers to keep guns out of the hands of felons and to protect the safety of the citizens of Vermilion County.”

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