PEORIA, Ill. – Federal authorities say a Peoria man is one of the last to plead guilty to his role in the theft of several guns including a high power rifle from a Creve Coeur gun dealer last year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Zabian Hatcher, 21, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to charges including Possession of Firearms by a Felon, Possession of Stolen Firearms, Conspiring to Steal Guns, and Burglary of a Federal Firearms Licensee.
Hatcher and five others allegedly broke into Thompson Trading Company October 29, 2020, and stole nine weapons including an AR15 rifle with a high-capacity magazine, then fled from East Peoria officers. The group allegedly abandoned a getaway car after crashing it, then took an Uber to North Peoria.
All but one of the others have pleaded guilty in the case. Hatcher will be sentenced February 22, 2022, and faces as much as ten years in prison for each charge.
