U.S. Marshals Arrest Illinois Man for Possession of Machinegun, Possession of Unregistered Firearm
Washington, DC / January 15, 2026 – The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on Jan. 14 arrested an Illinois man wanted out of Jackson County, Illinois, on firearms-related charges.
McKenlee Pirtle was the subject of a Southern District of Illinois District Courts arrest warrant issued Nov. 5, 2025, charging him with possession of a machinegun and possession of an unregistered firearm. The investigating agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, delegated arrest authority to the U.S. Marshals Service, Southern Illinois – Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on Jan. 9.
Local investigators relayed that Pirtle was a known gang member and a person of interest in a recent shooting in Carbondale, Illinois. Facts gathered during the shooting indicated that the shooter possessed a Glock handgun with a green Machinegun Conversion Device.
On Jan. 14, members of the USMS-Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and Carbondale Police Department met to conduct a preoperational safety briefing, during which surveillance teams observed Pirtle outside an apartment in the 500 block of South Rawlings Street.
Contact was made and Pirtle was taken into custody. During a post-arrest interview, Pirtle admitted to possessing two firearms inside his apartment and consented to a search of the residence, resulting in the seizure of two handguns, one of which was equipped with a green MCD. The firearms were relinquished to the CPD for evidence.
Pirtle was booked into the Jackson County Jail. The shooting investigation continues, and additional charges are pending.
Formed June 20, 2003, the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force mission is to locate and apprehend fugitives, with priority given to fugitives wanted for violent crime. With its primary office in Chicago, the GLRFTF operates throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Since its inception the GLRFTF has arrested more than 127,000 fugitives.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at https://www.usmarshals.gov.
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Source: U.S. Marshals Service (usmarshals.gov)
