Two men from Quad Cities, Emmanuel Lance Howard, and Evander Allen Jordan, received substantial prison sentences last Wednesday, for their involvement in a string of armed robberies and violent crimes, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of Illinois. Howard, 24, from Davenport, Iowa, will serve fifty years, while Jordan, 39, from Rock Island, Illinois, faces a lengthier term of one hundred and fifty years and one month behind bars.
The prosecution presented a grim tableau of the duo's violent 2020 crime spree which included armed robberies of several retail stores, a shooting, and a carjacking. The events inflicted severe trauma, and terror upon their victims, leading to life-altering consequences. They had been detained since their 2021 arrest until their trial last August 2024. The pair committed ten armed robberies in total across the Quad Cities area, proving particularly brutal during their encounters, which ended in two individuals being shot.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow, presiding over the sentencing, underscored the "relentless nature" of Howard and Jordan's conduct and its long-lasting impact on the victims. She emphasized the importance of the sentences in protecting the public from these individuals' propensity for violence.
U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris praised the multi-agency efforts leading to the sentences, stating, "These crimes were committed with a viciousness that had life-altering consequences for the victims." ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon added, "The severity of this sentence holds accountable these two defendants who created fear throughout the community."
This case is the culmination of extensive efforts by local police departments and federal agencies, and it underscores the coordinated approach to public safety in the Quad Cities. Chiefs Timothy J. McCloud and Darren J. Gault of the Rock Island and Moline Police Departments respectively acknowledged the unwavering resolve of their teams and federal partners in ensuring the safety of their community, relieved by the thought that these criminals would no longer pose a threat to the collective piece the region so values. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Mathew, Timothy Bass, and Jeffrey Kienstra.
