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Residents in the small town of Pekin, Illinois are spooked and voicing concerns after a man carrying a pistol has been going around at night knocking on doors and windows.
Pekin is located just 10 miles south of Peoria, Illinois.
Police say they are searching for the man, but some residents are even questioning conflicting statements released by police.
Sunday morning Facebook user “Stormy Lee Monday” posted an image from a security camera, along with the following statement:
Anybody know who this dude is? Looks like a black dude. Got the dreds, looks like a dude to me. Anyway, he’s walking up to somebody’s door at 10 pm or so on Arrow Street in Pekin. It was also reported he was banging on people’s windows while they were watching tv.
Wow. This doesn’t look or sound normal and probably needs to be checked out by the police. If you know who this is, report it. Thanks. People, if you walk up to somebody’s/ anybody’s front door in the middle of the night holding a pistol, expect to be reported. That’s not normal. Expect everyone to have you on film. We all have security these days.
Monday morning, the Pekin Police Department posted a photo of the man, who they identified as Jamar L. Deese, and said they are looking for him. At the same time, police say Deese was carrying a BB gun, and claimed he only did it as a joke. It is unclear how police know it was only a joke if they are still looking for Deese.
The police statement reads:
The Pekin Police Department took a report over the weekend in the 200 block of Arrow St. for a male that came to the front of the residence possessing what appeared to be a handgun and knocked on a window. The homeowners did not answer the door and the male left on foot. The Investigations Division was contacted and quickly identified the male as Jamar L. Deese.
The investigation yielded that Deese possessed a BB gun and went to a residence as a joke and thought it would be funny. Detectives attempted to locate Deese throughout the day yesterday, but did not locate him. There is probable cause to arrest Deese for Disorderly Conduct. If you know Deese’s whereabouts, please contact the Pekin Police Department at 309-346-3132 or Crimestoppers at 309-673-9000.
As a reminder to all citizens, these types of acts are crimes and should not be viewed as a joke or prank. These actions put all parties involved at risk for severe injury or worse. Crimes like this will not be tolerated and will result in arrest.
**All suspects and arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law**
Local residents are demanding to know how the police has already assumed this was a prank when they say they are still looking for Deese.
“Haven’t located him but know it’s a BB gun and it was a prank?!… If they don’t know where he is they can’t say it was a BB gun or a joke,” one person wrote.
“On what planet is that a “joke?” Didn’t the homeowner say they didn’t even know him? Kind of sounds to me like he actually planned on doing something and now that he’s been caught he’s saying it was a “joke.” He deserves to be arrested. He could’ve gotten himself or somebody else killed,” another Facebook user added.
Deese already has a criminal record. In one incident, according to a December 2023 report by 25NewsNow, Deese, then 18 years old, was busted along with a 16-year-old for breaking into vehicles and stealing one vehicle at the Peoria airport. The report reads:
PEORIA (25News Now) – A 16 and 18-year-olds have been arrested after allegedly being in a stolen car at the Peoria International Airport.
Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says Jamar L. Deese, 18, and the 16-year-old boy, both from the Peoria area, were arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of ammunition with no FOID, obstructing police and burglary to motor vehicles.
“They admitted to breaking into vehicles. During the search of the vehicle, they found ammunition, a pellet gun, a rifle, a magazine,” Watkins explains.
Watkins says that at around 12:10 a.m. Thursday, a sheriff’s deputy patrolling the airport parking lot discovered a vehicle that appeared to be rummaged through.
That deputy continued checking the lot and noticed a vehicle driving around the overflow parking lot. The pair fled on foot when the deputy approached. Other responding deputies apprehended the pair hiding in the lot. The vehicle ended up being stolen earlier in the night from the airport parking lot.
Pekin Police on Facebook said a man was in possession of a BB gun and went to a home as a joke and “thought it would be funny.”https://t.co/XVbtgWcHVP pic.twitter.com/Gae2LLxISG
— 25News WEEK (@25NewsWEEK) May 5, 2025
Anyone with information about Deese’s whereabouts is asked to contact Pekin Police at 309-346-3132 or CrimeStoppers at 309-347-9000.https://t.co/gSfhEKB8Zl
— 1470 & 100.3 WMBD (@1470WMBD) May 5, 2025
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