Streamwood man accused of firing gun in Lake in the Hills gets three years in prison in plea deal

A Streamwood man accused of recklessly firing a gun in Lake in the Hills pleaded guilty on Thursday to a lesser charge of possessing a firearm as a felon and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Travious O. Brown-Utley, 25, pleaded guilty as part of plea deal that saw additional felony charges dismissed.

Brown-Utley was accused of possessing a 9 mm handgun on April 10, 2021, at the intersection of Viewpoint and Mesa drives and recklessly firing the gun, according to the criminal complaint.

Lake in the Hills police responded to the residential neighborhood that day after witnesses reported hearing loud noises outside their homes and saw Brown-Utley retrieve a gun from his car and fire one round into the air, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Using descriptions of the shooter and his car, officers arrested Brown-Utley near the scene where they found a handgun in the car’s center console, the release states.

A home security camera video also captured Brown-Utley firing the gun, according to the release.

Brown-Utley had a DuPage County felony conviction for residential burglary in 2017, which made his possession of the firearm and ammunition a crime, according to the indictment. He also lacked the required state ID, the complaint alleges.

Brown-Utley was eligible for a maximum prison sentence of 14 years for possessing the firearm as a felon, according to the indictment.

He must serve at least 50% of the three-year sentence and will receive credit for 166 days already spent in custody, according to McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge’s signed order.

The sentence will be served concurrently to whatever sentence is handed down in DuPage County should Brown-Utley be found guilty there of residential burglary, court records show.