Eight Year Prison Term in Shelby County Case

An Oregon man has been sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with a Shelby County criminal case.

40-year-old Joshua Hicks was sentenced on counts of unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, as well as unlawful possession of weapons by a felon.

Hicks was stopped in January while traveling on Illinois 16 for an obstructed windshield. The deputy who had stopped Hicks' vehicle detected an odor of cannabis coming from the vehicle. After obtaining consent from Hicks to search the vehicle, the deputy was unable to open the trunk, then found the trunk could only be opened by pulling a rope from inside the vehicle. Once he gained access to the trunk, the deputy observed a handgun in a book bag next to packaging materials for cannabis distribution as well as close to 4,000 grams of cannabis.

Hicks has a conviction from 2003 for Bank Robbery for which he was sentenced to 29 months in federal prison.