GRANITE CITY – A local man accused of firing a weapon in a Granite City neighborhood faces felony charges after allegedly endangering nearby residents.
Cleandres T. Dixon, 42, of Granite City, was charged with one count each of reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of weapons (both Class 4 felonies) on April 27, 2026.
The day prior on April 26, 2026, Dixon allegedly knowingly discharged a firearm in a reckless manner while in the vicinity of another individual, endangering the victim’s bodily safety. He is also accused of carrying the firearm on his person while in the 2100 block of Benton Street in Granite City.
The weapon, described in charging documents as a Hi Point CF380 .380 handgun, was reportedly loaded, uncased and immediately accessible at the time of the offense. Dixon’s possession of the weapon was unlawful given his lack of a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card.
According to the state’s petition to deny Dixon’s pretrial release from custody, officers responded to a “shots fired” report and were told upon arrival that Dixon had been seen walking in the street with a firearm. Police said neighborhood residents reported hearing a shot, seeing Dixon with the firearm and retreating to safety.
When officers located Dixon and detained him, the petition states he admitted to possessing the weapon and “discharging a firearm in the air.” Officers later found a single shell casing on the lawn of a nearby residence and the firearm itself inside the residence.
The Granite City Police Department presented the case against Dixon. Madison County court records show he was ordered released from custody pending trial on April 30, 2026. The Release Order filed in this case notes Dixon had no prior criminal history and that nobody was injured as a result of his actions.
Under the conditions of his release, he has been ordered to have no contact with the victim in this case and shall not enter the premises of the Benton Street residence where the incident took place. Dixon has also been ordered to refrain from possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon while on pretrial release and has been ordered to home confinement on curfew from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
