Mendota man gets 5 years in drug plea

A Mendota man pleaded guilty Thursday to delivering cocaine to undercover agents and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Matthew D. McPheeters , 40, of Mendota, could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of armed violence, one of the four felonies he faced after the 2019 drug bust, but under a negotiated plea his most serious counts were dismissed and he drew a near-minimum sentence.

McPheeters declined an opportunity to address Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan before sentencing.

McPheeters was picked up Oct. 11, 2019, in his home on a La Salle County warrant charging him with two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team (Tri-DENT) and Mendota Police Department said in a press release.

A warrant was issued following an investigation into cocaine sales in Mendota. The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team said agents conducted several controlled purchases of cocaine from McPheeters and that a search warrant of his residence yielded more than 40 grams of cocaine, cocaine processing material and firearms. Armed violence typically filed in drug cases in which firearms are seized, whether they are discharged or not.

Thursday, special prosecutor Brooke Shupe said in open court McPheeters would accept 5 years to a lone count of delivery of a controlled substance plus a count of misdemeanor battery for a minor injury (a facial laceration) he committed in a companion case.

Shupe noted McPheeters, who had a limited criminal history, agreed to surrender the guns as part of the plea.