ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A convicted felon will be going to federal prison for nearly 6 years after pleading guilty to owning firearms during multiple encounters with Rockford Police.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Renard Macklin, 36, has been sentenced to spend 70 months in federal prison on the charge of illegal firearm possession.
Macklin, a previously convicted felon, is legally prohibited from owning firearms.
Authorities said on October 10th, 2020, he was driving a vehicle that fled from police at a high rate of speed. When he was caught, police found a Ruger AR-15 style rifle with a large capacity magazine and one round in the chamber.
On March 16th, 2021, a search conducted by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office found a stolen semi-automatic handgun with a 15-round magazine in his possession.
The sentencing is part of a U.S. Justice Department prosecution initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods , designed to reduce violent crime in northern Illinois.