Harrisburg man sentenced to 11 years for Saline County robbery

SALINE COUNTY - A 20-year-old Harrisburg man who robbed a woman by pretending to have a handgun has been sentenced to 11 years in prison - on top of two other sentences that in total will keep him behind bars for 15 years, according to Saline County State's Attorney Jayson Clark.

Xzavier B. Gibbs, 20, of Harrisburg, was initially sentenced to 11 years on April 18 on the aggravated robbery charge, in which he robbed the woman on Nov. 25, 2014 by convincing her he had a handgun, authorities said. The judge who passed that sentence, Judge Todd Lambert, also tacked on two years of mandatory supervised release.

Meanwhile, Judge Walden E. Morris added 2.5 years in prison to Gibbs' sentence, and an additional year of supervised release, on an unrelated aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction. Gibbs was discovered on May 20, 2017 with a loaded pistol, without having a FOID or concealed carry license.

The sentences will be served consecutively and are in addition to an 18-month sentence Gibbs incurred for a weapons offense in Gallatin County, giving him a total of 15 years in Illinois prisons.

Harrisburg Police Chief David Morris said getting Gibbs off the streets of Harrisburg will be good for the community, and sends a message.

"This is a step in the right direction," Morris said. "Hopefully, this might send a message out to the others," Morris said. "Our legal systems will not put up with this. You might get by for a while, but your time is coming. You will eventually get caught and pay time for your crimes."

Gibbs also remains a person of interest in the June 16, 2017 fatal shooting of Aaron Gregory. The Carrier Mills man was killed in a Harrisburg house. Authorities were looking to question both Gibbs and Jarred Crawford of Henderson, Kentucky, following Gregory's death.

Both men already had outstanding warrants on failure to appear charges stemming from an alleged aggravated battery incident in Harrisburg.

Crawford was arrested by Henderson Police Department officers later that day, but it wasn't until July 11, 2017 that Illinois State Police arrested Gibbs at a home in Equality.

Authorities said Gibbs was carrying a loaded 9 mm pistol when taken into custody on July 11, but because he had no Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification card nor an Illinois concealed carry permit he was additionally charged with aggravated use of a weapon.

The 18-month sentence that followed was the result of a negotiated plea.

Harrisburg Police Department led the investigations in the two Saline charges and Saline County Assistant State's Attorney Jason Olson led the prosecution in both cases.

Meanwhile, no charges have been filed in relation to Aaron Gregory's death, but authorities say the investigation is continuing.