Two sentenced for robbing marijuana dealer, shooting witness in Caseyville

Two men were sentenced for the robbery of a marijuana dealer and shooting a witness in Caseyville.

Deveon Humphries, 28, was ordered Tuesday to serve 12 years in federal prison on a single count of interfering with commerce by robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Humphries pleaded guilty to both charges in May of this year in the U.S. District Court for Southern Illinois.

His co-defendant in the case, Dartaniel Pruitt, 27, was sentenced in August of this year.

The crimes occurred on Sept. 30, 2018, when Humphries arranged a fake marijuana sale through Facebook with the intention of robbing the dealer, according to court documents. Humphries was armed and devised a scheme along with Pruitt, to take the marijuana by gunpoint, the indictment said.

During the robbery, Humphries shot a witness several times, then he and Pruitt fled the scene with the marijuana. According to federal court documents, the victim of the robbery returned gunfire, also hitting Humphries.

The Caseyville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the robbery and later recovered Humphries’ 9 mm semi-automatic pistol.

It’s not clear how badly the witness to the fake drug deal was injured.

As part of their sentences, Humphries and Pruitt were also ordered to serve a 5-year term of supervised release.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns.