Teen Sentenced to Prison for Possessing a Fully Automatic Weapon

December 29, 2025, Peoria, IL - At a sentencing hearing today, the court sentenced Kentrell Joiner, 18, to three years and six months in the Illinois Department of Corrections after possessing a fully automatic weapon earlier this year. Joiner pleaded guilty to Unlawful Use of Weapons in September.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Alferink presented testimony regarding Joiner's history of possessing, buying, and selling firearms. Given his history and his continued access to guns, the state had requested the maximum sentence of six years pursuant to the plea agreement. However, after hearing arguments from the defense, the court sentenced Joiner to a shorter prison sentence.

On January 28, 2025, around 3 p.m., officers attempted an investigative stop on a group of males at the Stop N Save in Peoria's North Valley. When officers approached the group, they fled. Joiner was found hiding behind a garbage can at a house in the 400 block of Morgan. A gun was recovered from the ground where he was hiding. The gun was equipped with an auto sear, commonly referred to as a switch, which converts the firearm to a fully automatic weapon.

Joiner was 17 at the time of the offense and was initially charged as a juvenile. Prosecutors filed a motion to transfer the case to adult felony court, which a judge granted in April.

Joiner is one of three individuals charged with weapons offenses stemming from the same incident. Zavion Knox and Zarion Harris were also charged in connection with this case. Knox pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The case against Harris remains pending.

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