Support Drew Larson pay for representation

My mom and nephews

Leaving a volunteer job Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Building a path while volunteering in Costa Rica

Same location, more work at Lake Atitlan

Clearing and placing bottles as edging

A fence that my boss and I made while volunteering in Bagaces, Costa Rica

Camping away from the rain in Costa Rica

Camping near Oaxaca, Mexico

Camping in Mexico

Camping

Leaving volunteer job in Jocotitlan, Mexico

Volunteering in Mascuala, Mexico

Volunteer work in Jocotitlan, Mexico

Resting with a knee injury the day before I contracted Dengue fever.

Volunteering as an english tutor in Coatepeque, Guatemala

Volunteering with a loomer in Salcaja, Guatemala

My name is Drew Larson.

I’m 28 years old. I happily work as a bicycle courier now in the city of Chicago, and I’m proud to say I have made it possible to travel much of the world by searching for volunteer opportunities and riding my bike for as long as I possibly can. My longest bicycle trip I returned from last christmas spanned 8 months; I went from Jalisco in Mexico to Colombia in South America solely by bicycle. Volunteering and camping solo in the most remote places of Latin America showed me how working hard, remaining humble, respecting your neighbor, taking care of your family, loving yourself, and pushing your physical limits can reward you and make you a better net impact on the world and people around you. I returned this last Christmas to my amazing family and was blessed to meet my girlfriend, whom I intend on marrying.

Unfortunately, this statute in Illinois 720 ILCS 5/33A-2 states, “an individual may be convicted of armed violence if he or she commits a felony while armed with a dangerous weapon,” which was created to deter criminals from carrying/using guns while committing felonies and to enhance the sentencing for violent crimes such as where a weapon is discharged. The issue is that this statute also includes foldable pocket knives with a blade longer than 3 inches and is applied indiscriminately, whether or not it is a non-violent felony crime such as the delivery of psilocybin mushrooms. I was set up and arrested by an undercover narcotics unit for the delivery of psilocybin mushrooms at a nature preserve in North Aurora, Illinois. When I was arrested, I had a foldable pocket knife on me, and the nature center also is used as a preschool for part of the year. Due to these details, I am looking at two Class X felonies along with 7 other felonies, which include mandatory prison time and are non-probational. My life has been turned upside down, and for the sake of my family and loved ones, I am doing everything I can to continue working my ass off and to be able to provide myself with solid representation to show I am a positive impact on my community if I am to remain a free man. All funds will go directly toward costs of an attorney and the $5 daily fee for the electronic home monitoring device that has been installed onto me.