People v. Bennett

── People v. Bennett ── Court: Appellate Court of Illinois Date: June 05, 2026 Category: General NOTICE 2026 IL App (4th) 250772-U This Order was filed under FILED Supreme Court Rule 23 and is NO. 4-25-0772 June 5, 2026 not precedent except in the Carla Bender limited circumstances allowed IN THE APPELLATE COURT 4th District Appellate under Rule 23(e)(1). Court, IL OF ILLINOIS FOURTH DISTRICT THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Circuit Court of v. ) Adams County JEFFREY T. BENNETT, ) No. 24CF542 Defendant-Appellant. ) ) Honorable ) Holly J. Henze, ) Judge Presiding. JUSTICE ZENOFF delivered the judgment of the court. Justices Knecht and Cavanagh concurred in the judgment. ORDER ¶1 Held: The appellate court affirmed defendant’s convictions where the trial court properly denied defendant’s motion to quash a search warrant and suppress evidence, as there were no defects in the search warrant and police officers’ entry into defendant’s residence and resulting search of the residence were lawful. ¶2 Defendant, Jeffrey T. Bennett, was convicted after a stipulated bench trial of unlawful possession with intent to deliver cannabis (720 ILCS 550/5(e) (West 2024)) and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(a) (West 2024)) and sentenced to six years in prison. On appeal, he argues that the trial court erroneously denied his motion to quash the search warrant and suppress evidence where the search warrant did not describe the items to be seized with sufficient particularity. For the following reasons, we affirm. ¶3 I. BACKGROUND ¶4 On August 15, 2024, in Adams County case No. 24-CF-542, the State charged defendant by information with (1) armed violence (720 ILCS 5/33A-2(a) (West 2024)) (count I), (2) possession with intent to deliver more than 500 but less than 2,000 grams of cannabis (720 ILCS 550/5(e) (West 2024)) (count II), (3) unlawful possession of more than 500 but less than 2,000 grams of cannabis (720 ILCS 550/4(e) (West 2024)) (count III), (4) unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (720 ILCS 5/24.1.1(a) (West 2024)) (count IV), and (5) unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon (720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(a) (West 2024)) (count V). In Adams County case No. 24-CF-540, defendant was charged with (1) domestic battery of S.D. and (2) aggravated battery to S.D., a pregnant person. Defendant was arraigned on August 21, 2024, and pleaded not guilty. ¶5 On October 8, 2024, defendant filed a “Motion to Quash and Suppress Evidence.” In this motion, he stated that on August 14, 2024, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest and a search warrant for his home on the basis that S.D. alleged that she was the victim of a domestic battery in defendant’s kitchen on August 1, 2024. The search warrant directed officers to “take photographs of the kitchen area of the residence.” Police officers executed the search warrant around 10:45 p.m. on August 14, 2024, and entered defendant’s residence with the arrest warrant. Officers found in plain view two auto-opening knives, loose cannabi