PEORIA, Ill. — A 21-year-old Bartonville man, Evan C. Nettles, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a botched robbery that ended in gunfire and left two people injured.
Nettles pleaded guilty in Peoria County Circuit Court to armed robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm stemming from the February 20, 2025 incident on Treasure Avenue.
Judge’s sentencing order gives Nettles 17½ years for aggravated battery and 30 years for armed robbery, to be served concurrently. He will be eligible for day-for-day good-time credit.
Prosecutors said Nettles and another man, Donald Grant, 18, lured two teens to the area under the pretense of a marijuana sale but instead planned to rob them and use the money and drugs to cover Nettles’ rent.
During the attempted robbery, Grant pulled a gun on one of the teens, and a struggle broke out, leading to multiple shots fired. Nettles, armed with a rifle, stood outside as lookout.
After Grant’s weapon jammed, he reportedly reloaded and shot the second teen “because he didn’t want to get caught,” according to prosecutors.
Though Nettles did not fire a weapon, he was convicted under Illinois’ accountability law, making him equally responsible for the violent act.
Grant, who was 17 at the time, was tried as an adult and sentenced in 2024 to 31 years in prison for attempted murder and aggravated battery related to the same crime.
Authorities said the sentencing closes a violent case that shocked the Bartonville community and underscores the severe consequences of armed robbery.
