Galesburg man arrested after firing rounds in his yard

Galesburg police arrested a man after he fired several rounds from a firearm in his backyard.

Galesburg police officers responded to a report of a disturbance in the 900 block of E. Brooks Street on Friday, August 16 at about 9:58 p.m. Officers determined that Leslie Mixon, 60, of Galesburg, had fired several rounds from a firearm while he was in his backyard in the 900 block of E. Brooks Street. Mixon is a convicted felon and was taken into custody. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the address and found four handguns, one AR-style rifle, five shotguns, five rifles and several rounds of ammunition. Mixon was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated discharge of a firearm. The Galesburg Police Department seized the firearms.

“The Galesburg Police Department takes the safety of our community very seriously,” said Police Chief Russell Idle. “We were able to remove multiple weapons from our community that were not only possessed illegally by a convicted felon, but also being fired unsafely. Reckless, illegal activity will not be tolerated, and we are pleased that our officers’ efforts removed 15 illegal weapons from our community.”

Mixon is being held in the Knox County Jail until further order. He has a preliminary hearing on September 16 in Knox County Court.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.