May 9, 2024

JOLIET — Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that Gralon Potts, 38, of Chicago Heights, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for Unlawful Use of a Weapon (a Class X Felony). Potts pled guilty and was sentenced by Circuit Judge Bertani-Tomczak.

On August 12, 2023, University Park police responded to a dispatch for a disturbance at 745 Red Oak Lane involving two vehicles. While on the way there, the officers were informed that the alleged offender was wearing a yellow vest and had a handgun. Upon arrival, one of the officers saw a man in a yellow vest walking away from a vehicle. He stopped the man, defendant Potts, who told the officer he had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend. Potts told the officer that she had smashed the windows of his Tahoe and rammed the vehicle with her Nissan. As the officer walked around the Tahoe, he saw 8 unspent .40 rounds on the ground behind the Tahoe. He then saw an empty magazine and found a 9 mm Glock with an extended magazine and a switch that made it a fully automatic weapon. The machine gun was loaded with 21 rounds in the magazine and 1 in the chamber.  An additional round was found on the front passenger floorboard.  Security video showed Potts pointing the weapon at his girlfriend and breaking the doors to her Nissan. 

Potts will serve the sentence at 50 percent and will receive 271 days credit. He also will serve 18 months of mandatory supervised release.

States Attorney Glasgow would like to thank Assistant State’s Attorney Katie Rabenda and Legal Secretary Kendall Ziech for their hard work in this matter.