MT. VERNON, IL — A 22-year-old Salem man has been sentenced to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he pleaded guilty earlier this month in Jefferson County Court to a charge of armed violence. Mt. Vernon police arrested Xander Calip in March during an investigation into vehicle burglaries in the area.

Police had received a report that a loaded handgun had been stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the parked in the 800 block of Apricot. As one officer took the offense information additional officers responded to the area to search for suspects or additional offenses. While officers were checking the area the police department received a report of a person burglarizing a vehicle in the 600 block of Pear. Officers arrived on scene within a minute and located Calip burglarizing the reporting person’s vehicle. Upon taking Calip into custody, the officers found he was armed with the loaded, stolen handgun taken during the previous vehicle burglary. He was ultimately charged in Jefferson County Court with Class X felony armed violence and Class 2 felony possession of a firearm by a felon.

The Class 2 charge was dismissed per the plea agreement. Calip was given credit for 81 days served in the Jefferson County Jail.