Warrant Issued for Fairbury Man Who Failed to Appear in Court for Sentencing
David Loren Ebke, 61, of Fairbury, was scheduled to be sentenced in Jefferson County District Court on June 13, 2024, but failed to appear. Presiding Judge J.A. Bargen issued a warrant for his arrest and set a new bond at $75,000 (10 percent).
Ebke was originally charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a class 1D felony, which carries a mandatory three-year minimum and 50-year maximum prison sentence. He is also charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction.
In accordance with a plea agreement, Ebke pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, a class 3 felony. The remaining charged were dismissed.
At approximately 11:40 a.m., on November 16, 2022, deputies with the Sheriff’s office were asked to assist the Probation Office with a search of Ebke’s place of residence. According to the deputy that filled out the arrest affidavit, “I was told that probation was doing a search of David Ebke’s place of residence and David was not being cooperative.”
Allowing the search of a home by probation officers is a term of probation. The affidavit notes, “They (probation officers) advised they needed us to watch David as they searched his place. They also advised that they saw David throw something behind the refrigerator while they were waiting for us to arrive. During the search by probation officers, they moved the refrigerator out and found a black case behind it. Inside this case was a loaded, silver .22 magnum caliber derringer. I unloaded the weapon and then had dispatch run the serial number to make sure it was not stolen. I also checked to see if David Ebke was a felon and prohibited from having a firearm. Dispatch informed me that David Ebke was a felon and was prohibited from having dangerous weapons. While probation searched the bedroom they found a mirror with a white residue on it. I field tested this substance and got a positive test result for
methamphetamine. A box of 22 caliber shells was also found in David’s bedroom along with items of drug paraphernalia and a small plastic wrapped green substance. This field tested positive for marijuana. I then place David Ebke under arrest and he was transported to the Jefferson County Jail.”
