Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
EVANSVILLE- Three convicted felons residing in Evansville have been sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing firearms. All three cases are unrelated.
| Defendant | Charge | Sentence | Prior Felony Convictions |
| Codey M. Ritchison, 34 | Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon | 9 years, 2 months’ imprisonment; 3 years of supervised release | Domestic battery; Intimidation; Two counts of carrying a firearm by a felon; Possession of methamphetamine; Two counts of resisting law enforcement; Theft; Residential entry |
On October 19, 2023, Evansville Police officers spotted Codey Ritchison in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the drive-through line at an ice cream shop. At the time, Ritchison had an active felony parole violation warrant. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, he fled on foot with a pistol in his hand. As he ran across Diamond Avenue—a busy, divided, multi-lane street—he dropped the firearm while crossing the median. The pistol was loaded with an extended 25-round magazine.
| Defendant | Charge | Sentence | Prior Felony Convictions |
| Randy Dale Ricketts Jr., 43 | Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon | 15 years’ imprisonment; 4 years of supervised release | Strangulation; Domestic battery with a deadly weapon; Domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury; Battery resulting in serious bodily injury |
On August 20, 2024, Evansville Police responded to a report of a suspicious person with a gun on North Wabash Avenue. Officers located Ricketts nearby. A search of the area uncovered a 9mm handgun under a vehicle with one round in the chamber and a missing magazine. The serial number had been obliterated and was no longer legible. Ricketts was found with a loaded magazine matching the firearm in his front pants pocket.
| Defendant | Charge | Sentence | Prior Felony Convictions |
| Destin Jay Svestka, 28 | Prohibited person in possession of a firearm | 13 years, 4 months’ imprisonment; 3 years of supervised release | Three counts of Burglary |
On May 10, 2024, Evansville Police located a stolen vehicle on the Lloyd Expressway and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, Destin Svestka, ignored the police and fled the scene. Two hours later, Svestka led Warrick County law enforcement on a high-speed chase in the same stolen vehicle, eventually abandoning it in the Bally’s Casino parking lot and fleeing on foot. During the chase, Svestka threw a black bag into the river. After his arrest, the bag was recovered and found to contain a loaded Springfield Armory XDM .45 caliber pistol.
“These are not victimless crimes. These are dangerous individuals with violent criminal histories, caught once again with guns they are prohibited from having,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “When violent offenders have access to firearms, every encounter becomes a potential tragedy. These weapons drastically increase the chance that a situation turns deadly for victims, bystanders, and even law enforcement. Thanks to the work of the ATF and Evansville Police Department, these men are no longer in a position to threaten the safety of our neighborhoods.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Evansville Police Department investigated these cases, as well as valuable assistance provided by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Crime Gun Intelligence Center. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judges Richard L. Young and Matthew P. Brookman.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd S. Shellenbarger and Jeremy S. Kemper, who prosecuted these cases.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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