Todd O. Sweet, Possession of Stolen Firearm, MO 2024

A 51-year-old Monroe County man has been locked up for 100 months after being caught with a stolen gun and a stolen Missouri truck while living like a fugitive in deep woods. Todd O. Sweet, already a convicted violent felon, was sentenced in federal court today on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a stolen motor vehicle — the latest chapter in a life on the run.

Sweet, who hails from Monroe County, Illinois, wasn’t just hiding from society — he was actively dodging supervised release stemming from a prior conviction in the Eastern District of Missouri for Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon. Instead of reporting to authorities, he set up a makeshift camp in heavy woods on private land, surviving off-grid until the property owner noticed trespassers and called the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies found more than just an illegal encampment. Inside Sweet’s backpack, they discovered a GPS tracking device — likely used to monitor law enforcement or avoid capture — which led them straight to his tent. Inside, they seized a loaded firearm with no legal registration. Just yards away, parked and abandoned, sat a truck reported stolen months earlier in Missouri.

The discovery painted a picture of a man fully committed to operating outside the law. Not only was Sweet in illegal possession of a weapon — a felony under federal statute — but he also had no right to operate or possess any vehicle, let alone one taken during a crime. The combo of weapons, stolen property, and evasion tactics triggered a swift federal prosecution.

The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and brought by Assistant United States Attorneys Ali Summers and Stephen Clark, who emphasized the danger Sweet posed as an armed, unmonitored felon. U.S. Attorney Donald S. Boyce confirmed the sentencing, which includes 100 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.

Sweet’s story isn’t just one of crime — it’s of escalation. Each offense, each escape, ratcheted up the stakes. Now, after years of evading accountability, he’ll spend more than eight years behind bars. For the residents of southern Illinois, it’s one less armed fugitive lurking in the trees.