Danville Resident Receives Prison Sentence for Methamphetamine Possession

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A Danville resident will spend the next five years behind bars following his guilty plea to methamphetamine possession in two separate legal cases. This outcome was announced by the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Mathiew Woodard, aged 35, appeared in court on December 3 for a plea hearing. During this session, he admitted guilt to charges in two cases: one for unlawful possession of methamphetamine, classified as a Class 1 felony, and another for possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony.

The evidence, presented by the state, traced back to an incident exactly one year prior, on December 3, 2024. A Vermilion County Sheriff’s deputy encountered Woodard while probing a retail theft case. At that time, the deputy found Woodard in possession of an ounce of a substance that tested positive for meth, a finding later confirmed by the Illinois State Police Crime Lab.

Following his arrest, Woodard was released pretrial, with court documents indicating he was due to return on December 11 for a final hearing before his trial commenced. However, these plans were interrupted when Woodard was arrested again on November 6.

More evidence presented in court showed Woodard was pulled over for a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code, and the deputy performing the traffic stop saw a container of suspected marijuana in plain sight.

“Woodard gave the container to the deputy and admitted the substance was ‘weed.’ The deputy initiated a search of the vehicle,” prosecutors said. “During the search, the deputy located a torn baggie underneath the driver’s seat that contained a crystalline substance consistent in appearance with methamphetamine. The substance field-tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.”

Woodard was arraigned on new charges following this arrest, and his pretrial release in the 2024 case was revoked. Less than a month later, he pleaded guilty to two of the counts against him, one in each case.

Woodard was then sentenced to five years in prison for each count, sentences that will be served concurrently.

“Repeated possession of methamphetamine endangers the entire community,” State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy said in the news release. “I would like to thank the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department for their work in these cases and their dedication to protect the public from illegal drug activity.”