Bail was set at $250,000 Wednesday in Jefferson County Court for a 23-year-old man arrested over the weekend for alleged armed vehicular hijacking.
Shonn Bacon was formally charged with being an armed habitual criminal and aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon. Both charges are Class X felonies punishable by between 6 and 30 years each if convicted.
Bacon allegedly entered an occupied vehicle Saturday night in the Arby’s parking lot in Mt. Vernon. He was reportedly still armed with a handgun having left an armed altercation inside Applebee’s moments earlier.
Mt. Vernon police, who were enroute for the Applebee’s call entered a brief foot pursuit with Bacon who exited the hijacked vehicle upon their arrival.
After intitially refusing to drop his weapon, Bacon eventually complied but resisted arrest before being taken into custody.
It was determined at that time that he was on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections stemming from a 2015 conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Sangamon County.
Bacon indicated in court Wednesday that he will hire a private attorney for the Jefferson County case. He is next scheduled to appear in court January 10.