A 31-year-old Centralia man was formally charged in Marion County Court on Wednesday with a Class X felony of armed violence in addition to unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of under five grams of methamphetamine.
Preston Rinne of South Davis was arrested following what started as a traffic stop for an equipment violation Monday night.
Centralia Police say Rinne reportedly drove up over the curb onto the sidewalk and the front yard of his home in the 400 block of South Perrine. A canine officer was called to the scene and a search was completed after the dog alerted on the driver’s door. Police say a baggie of a controlled substance was recovered, along with a loaded 12 gauge shotgun, 300 rounds of ammunition, loose pills, and a scale.
The armed violence charge claims Rinne was armed with a dangerous weapon while in possession of methamphetamine. It carries a minimum sentence of 15 years upon conviction. The unlawful possession of weapon charged, based on the ammunition allegedly found, mandates a 2 to 10-year prison term upon conviction.
Upon agreement with the State’s Attorney, Rinne was released on pre-trial conditions including finding a bed for inpatient drug treatment. He had the public defender appointed to represent him. The first appearance with an attorney is on January 30th.
