Fairbury Man Accused of Threatening Deputy Reaches Plea Deal

Troy A. Milam, age 65, of Fairbury, was sentenced to six months of probation to the court and fined $250 after reaching a plea agreement that reduced a felony charge to a misdemeanor.Milam appeared in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, February 8, 2024. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge.The defendant was originally charged with terroristic threats, a class 3A felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.In accordance with that deal, Milam pleaded No Contest to a reduced charge of assault by threatening or menacing manner, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.Milam had requested probation. However, a PSI (Pre-Sentencing Investigation) order by the judge did not recommend probation.Milam is represented by attorney Andrew K. Joyce of Lincoln, who indicated that there were difficulties with either probation or a sentence of incarceration and asked for a fine only. One of those difficulties is the defendant's plan to relocate to Puerto Rico.As a result, Judge Bauer placed the defendant on probation to the court, rather than the Probation Office. The judge noted Milam could be released from probation early if the defendant paid off his fines and court costs, had no more law violations and provided proof of relocation.The ArrestOn August 13, 2023, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve papers at a residence in Fairbury. According to the Affidavit for Arrest Warrant, “While there, the owner, Troy Milam, was extremely irate toward me. Milam exchanged a lot of profanity toward me and threatened to take my duty handgun and shoot me if I didn’t leave his property.”The affidavit noted the deputy left the premises and returned a short while later with another deputy. At that time, one of the deputies, “saw an AR style rifle set up on a tripod aimed at the door.”Based on this, a warrant was issued for Milam’s arrest on August 30.The warrant was served on September 13. That same day, Milam was given a PR (Personal Recognizance) bond.Prior IncidentsThis is not the first time Milam has been accused of terroristic threats or the use of firearms in those threats. He was previously arrested January 9, 2020, after a he was accused of pointing a pistol at a neighbor and making threats. A search warrant was subsequently obtained to locate the firearm used in the alleged crime. Upon search of Milam’s residence, a large number of firearms and ammunition were located, along with a 15-inch sawed-off shotgun. Under the National Firearms Act (NFA), it is illegal for a private citizen to possess a shotgun with a barrel length shorter than 18 inches.He was originally charged with four counts: use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, a class 2 felony punishable by one to 50 years in prison; terroristic threats; possession of a short rifle, a class 4 felony punishable by two years in prison, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine; and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), a class W misdemeanor that carriers a possible penalty of seven to 60 days in jail, a $500 fine and driver’s license revocation of up to six months.In accordance with a plea agreement, the short rifle charge was reduced to attempt of a class 4 felony, which is a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The remainder of the charges were dismissed. Milam pleaded No Contest and he was sentenced to 18 months of probation.Milam was arrested again on February 4, 2021, after deputies attempted to conduct a welfare check. An ambulance was also sent to the scene. According to the Warrantless Arrest Affidavit, Milam did not respond to knocks on the front door, though Milam could be seen through a window. The door was unlocked and deputies, “made entry into the residence for the safety of Troy.”The deputy who filled out the affidavit noted, “Upon walking through his residence I observed two firearms in his residence and one of the firearms was a Ruger 10-22 that we had been looking for several months prior with a search warrant but never found.”As a condition of the defendant’s probation, he was not allowed to possess any firearms.Milam was placed under arrest. The affidavit said, “Troy began to fight us while we were attempting to cuff him and would not cooperate with us.”Milam was sentenced to 20 days in jail, with credit for 22 days time served.

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