PEORIA — A North Peoria man was sentenced to probation and six months in jail Thursday for the reckless firing of a handgun outside of a Farmington Road tavern.

Brock A. Ardis, 25, of 6705 N. Terra Vista Drive, pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm as part of a plea agreement with the Appellate Prosecutor’s office. In return for the plea, a more serious charge of aggravated battery, which carried a six to 30-year prison range, was dropped.

Ardis was placed on 30 months of probation Thursday and will report to the Peoria County Jail next month to begin serving his sentence. He is eligible for day-for-day “good-time” credit and could serve only three months if he doesn’t get into trouble.

The plea came after Ardis’ attorney and a representative from the Appellate Prosecutor’s office, which handled the case, met with Circuit Judge Kevin Lyons, who had previously rejected a plea offer.

On Nov. 23, 2017, Ardis — who used to work at Crusen’s Bar on Farmington Road — was present at the tavern after closing when he got into a dispute with the owner as well as another employee. The dispute went outside and, at some point, Ardis' handgun went off and the bullet ricocheted off the building, striking the unnamed employee in the shoulder and then in the hand.

Ardis' attorney, Kevin Sullivan, said the injuries were relatively minor and the employee was treated and released.

Ardis had a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card and an Illinois Concealed Carry License (CCL) at the time of the incident, according to Sullivan.

Andy Kravetz is the public safety reporter and can be reached at 686-3283 and akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.