Man who was armed in Pana standoff sentenced to prison

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - A judge sentenced the man who was involved in an armed standoff with police in 2021.

Pana police said the standoff with Jeremy W. Winter, 33, of Tower Hill happened on the evening of Oct. 24, 2021. Officers received a call about a person possibly having a handgun while acting in a strange manner at 12 Vine St. They found him on the porch, at which time they said he was making threats and refusing to cooperate with authorities.

Winter then went into the house as police secured a perimeter. Family members were allowed to leave, but Winter refused to exit or comply as police negotiated for a peaceful outcome. At 7:44 p.m., he was convinced to put down a loaded .45 caliber handgun and leave the home. He was then arrested.

A jury took 15 minutes to find Winter guilty in May of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. This is a Class 2 felony charge.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison with 1 year of mandatory supervised release.

"State’s Attorney Poggenpohl would like to thank the Pana Police Department for their excellent work in handling this case," a statement from the Christian County State's Attorney's Office said. "All officers involved handled themselves with exceptionally during all stages of investigation and trial."