(PEORIA, IL) On Thursday, October 16, 2025, at approximately 11:14 p.m., Peoria Police conducted a traffic stop for a moving violation near S. Louisa Street and W. Howett Street.
During the stop, officers made contact with two occupants inside the vehicle. Officers developed probable cause to conduct a search, which resulted in the discovery of a loaded .22 caliber AR-15 style rifle.
Both occupants, identified as 48-year-old Demetrius L. Crawley and 55-year-old Zanita S. Ward, were subsequently arrested for the following offenses:
• Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon
• Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
• Unlawful Possession of Firearm Ammunition
• No FOID
Crawley and Ward were transported to the Peoria County Jail.
If you have any information about violent crimes, please contact the Peoria Police Department at (309) 673-4521. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through tip411 or by calling Crime Stoppers at (309) 673-9000.
**All suspects and arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. **