Media Contact: Lt. Dave Shaffer, 217-403-7030, [email protected]
In May of 2016, the multi-jurisdictional Street Crimes Task Force (SCTF) conducted an investigation regarding the unlawful possession of weapons. As part of the investigation, a court authorized search warrant was obtained for a residence located in the 700 block of Hollycrest Dr. in Champaign.
On May 19, SCTF officers and Champaign Police Detectives served the warrant and during a search of the residence, seized four handguns, including a handgun that was previously reported as stolen. Officers also seized ammunition and over 50 grams of suspected marijuana.
Arrested for the offense was 33-year-old James L. Howard of Champaign. Howard is a convicted felon and not legal to possess firearms in the State of Illinois. He was transported to the Champaign County Correctional Center pending arraignment.
This investigation is ongoing and Champaign Police ask that anyone with information related to this incident to contact the Champaign Police Department Investigations Division at 217-351-4545.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives the information, completes a tips information form, and passes the tip information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers, and conversations are not recorded.
Anonymous tips can be shared by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at www.373tips.com; or by texting “CCTIP” plus the crime information to 274637 (CRIMES). Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this crime.
The Street Crimes Task Force (SCTF) is staffed with officers from the Champaign Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, Urbana Police Department, and the University of Illinois Police Department. The SCTF was formed in mid-2015 to address increasing violence and weapon related offenses in the community.