Zion man convicted of drug charges sentenced to 29 years
By Beth Kramer ekramer@stmedianetwork.com March 8, 2013 12:51PM
Keveen Fullwiley
Updated: April 10, 2013 6:07AM
The Zion man who attempted to escape the courtroom after he was convicted of drug charges was sentenced to 29 years in prison Friday.
Keevan Fullwiley , 35, faced a minimum of 9 years in prison and a maximum of 80 years, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Turk.
Zion police found 135.8 grams of cocaine and 304.6 grams of marijuana when they searched his Zion residence Sept. 3, 2010, Turk said.
Fullwiley rejected a plea deal that would have given him seven years in prison. A jury returned a guilty verdict Nov. 29. Fullwiley attempted to flee from the courtroom after Judge Christopher Stride ordered him remanded into custody.
Escape and aggravated battery charges from that courtroom incident are still pending against Fullwiley. Five Lake County Sheriff deputies and two corrections officers were in the courtroom for Fullwiley’s sentencing hearing.
Fullwiley went to Illinois Department of Correction five times on drug-related offenses. He was also charged with attempted first-degree murder as a juvenile, Turk said.
“You’ve spent a lot of time ... selling the very product that destroys the lives of so many,” Stride said.
Fullwiley will have to serve three years of parole after he is released from prison. He remains in custody at Lake County Jail and is due back in court March 15 for hearing related to the escape incident.
