10-Year Prison Sentence for Local Man

(LANKFORD)

A local man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on a series of charges.

25-year-old Daniel Lankford of Effingham pleaded guilty Thursday to theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm. The 10-year prison term is on each charge, but the counts will run concurrently.

Effingham City Police had posted on Facebook in March that since late February, police have taken multiple reports for motor vehicle thefts and burglaries from motor vehicles in the area. A vehicle equipped with a GPS monitoring system was reported stolen from an Effingham business, leading to the recovery of the vehicle in Altamont. Lankford was located at the scene and was arrested. 

After Lankford's arrest, a search warrant was obtained for a residence in Altamont where some of the stolen property was found, including a stolen firearm. The Facebook post stated that "through the investigations, detectives were able to positively identify Lankford as the suspect in at least three motor vehicle thefts and two burglaries from a motor vehicle."

In addition to Lankford, three other individuals were arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff's Office as a result of the search warrant.

As part of the negotiated plea, charges against Lankford of aggravated possession of stolen firearms, two counts of burglary, criminal damage to property, and unlawful possession of a credit or debit card have been dismissed.