VILLA PARK, IL – A former Maywood resident was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty on weapons charges as part of a 2023 shooting investigation, authorities said.
Curtis Lyons, 41, received a 20-year prison sentence for illegally possessing a machine gun, according to a news release from DuPage County prosecutors.
After a three-day bench trial in January, a judge found Lyons guilty on a count of being an armed habitual criminal and three counts of unlawful use or possession of a weapon by a felon.
Lyons was previously convicted of armed robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm.
On the night of Jan. 25, 2023, Villa Park police were called to the area of Chatham Avenue and Plymouth Street for a report of shots fired, prosecutors said. Officers found numerous shell casings in the intersection.
Through their investigation, police said they learned Lyons had arranged to sell drugs to an acquaintance while armed with a gun altered with a switch that allowed it to fire as a fully automatic weapon.
Police later found Lyons in a home on Cornell Avenue in Villa Park.
After executing a search warrant, officers found a 9 mm Glock 19 with a fully automatic switch and a laser light, a 9 mm Smith & Wesson M&P Shield, a 50-round drum magazine containing eight rounds and about $7,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
"Without giving a second thought to his status as a convicted felon, which prohibits him from legally possessing a firearm, Mr. Lyons thumbed his nose at the law and illegally armed himself with a machine gun before heading out on January 25, 2023," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release.
Prosecutors said Lyons will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
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