GODFREY – A Godfrey resident has been charged and released from custody after carrying a loaded firearm in Glazebrook Park.
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Peyton R. Pehrson, 26, of Godfrey, was charged on May 20, 2025 with a Class 3 felony count of unlawful use of a weapon and a Class 4 felony count of aggravated unlawful possession of weapons.
On May 19, 2025, Pehrson allegedly knowingly carried a concealed Cranik 9mm handgun on his person “while he was at a public park,” Glazebrook Park in Godfrey. The firearm was “uncased, loaded, and immediately accessible at the time of the offense,” according to court documents.
The Madison County State’s Attorney’s office filed a petition to deny Pehrson’s pretrial release in this case. According to the petition, the incident unfolded after officers “responded to a report of someone acting belligerent in the roadway, flashing a firearm.”
“Witnesses reported that the suspect fled through Glazebrook Park, where multiple children were playing baseball at approximately 5 p.m.,” the petition states. “Officers then received another report of the suspect ‘flipping off’ cars near the elementary school, across from the park.”
When officers located Pehrson, he was “highly intoxicated and armed” and admitted to fleeing through the park in an effort to avoid arrest. Authorities discovered Pehrson had previously been declined for a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card.
The state’s petition to keep Pehrson in custody was denied. According to a Release Order filed in this case, the state failed to prove by “clear and convincing evidence” that no condition other than detainment could mitigate the threat Pehrson poses to the community.
Instead, Pehrson has been ordered not to consume alcohol, to turn over all firearms in his possession to authorities, and to remain off the premises of Glazebrook Park and North Elementary School in Godfrey.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office presented the case against Pehrson, who has since been ordered released from custody.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
