A convicted felon has been sentenced to over nine years in prison after a sheriff’s deputy was injured and a second was sideswiped by a car as the armed man drove off from a traffic stop near Crystal Lake.
Quinelle Franklin, 33, of Crystal Lake, was charged in August with armed habitual criminal, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a stolen firearm, two counts of aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated fleeing to elude causing injury, illegal possession of ammunition, driving on a revoked license, reckless driving, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, unauthorized lighting on a vehicle, speeding and failure to use a seatbelt.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle around 7:30 p.m. on August 30 near Route 31 and Route 14 in Crystal Lake.
Prosecutors said Franklin, the driver, questioned why he was being pulled over before quickly speeding away from the stop.
One of the deputies was brushed by the vehicle when it pulled away and a second deputy had his finger pinched, leaving him injured, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors said Franklin was observed traveling behind the Regal Crystal Lake Showplace before crossing Pingree Road and stopping in the parking lot of Ivy Hall Dispensary in Crystal Lake.
Deputies proceeded to search the area behind the movie theater and located a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun.
Franklin’s DNA was later collected and his DNA connected him to the handgun, prosecutors said.
The gun was reported stolen out of Crystal Lake three days prior.
Franklin is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess firearms. He was convicted of aggravated battery in a 2010 Kane County case and possession of a firearm by a felon in a 2018 case.
The complaint also said Franklin had been driving on Route 31 despite having a revoked driver’s license.
Franklin drove over the center median on two separate instances on Cog Circle in Crystal Lake, the complaint said.
The complaint said the vehicle, which had illegal red lights emitting from the rear bumper, did not have valid insurance.
Franklin was not wearing his seatbelt and was caught driving 7 mph over the posted 55 mph speed limit, the complaint said.
The wanted vehicle was located a short time later at the Ivy Hall Dispensary in Crystal Lake and Franklin was taken into custody and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
Franklin has been held in the McHenry County Jail since his arrest. He has a significant criminal history and was convicted in May 2023 of aggravated fleeing to elude.
Court records show Franklin entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office this week.
He pleaded guilty to one count of armed habitual criminal, a Class X felony. The rest of his charges were dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt approved the plea and sentenced Franklin to nine years and six months in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the agreement.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally thanked the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for “bravely pursuing” Franklin and their investigation into the stolen firearm.
“A special thanks goes out to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab for testing the forensic evidence in this case at a rapid rate. Thank you to Assistant State’s Attorney Maria Marek for prosecuting this case,” Kenneally said following the sentencing.