Donavan Smith
A Sherrard man will serve seven years in prison on federal weapons charges. 30 year old Donavan C. Smith was sentenced Monday at U.S. District Court in Peoria. He pleaded guilty to the two counts of unlawful transport of firearms last April. He was shot by a Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy during a weapons investigation in June of 2018 in the Viola area and the shooting was later ruled justified by the Mercer and Henry County Major Crimes Task Force. Smith remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody. A co-defendant in the case, 30 year old Alex Cady of Preemption, is serving 15 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to Class X felony state charges of armed violence last October. Cady is serving his sentence at the Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg.