A Joliet man was denied bond by Judge Celine O’Hallaren Walsh after Naperville police found drugs and a handgun in his vehicle, according to a joint press release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres.
The 36-year-old man appeared at a bond hearing this morning after being charged with one count of Armed Habitual Criminal and one count of Armed Violence. Both offenses are a Class X Felony.
According to the release, on Monday evening a Naperville police officer on foot patrol at TopGolf on Odyssey Court observed an odor of cannabis coming from an unoccupied Volkswagen SUV. It is alleged that upon further inspection, the officer noticed a gun protruding from the driver’s side door frame.
Approximately one hour later, the suspect returned to the parking lot and entered the SUV, at which time Naperville police officers immediately activated their emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle. It is alleged that the suspect, who was seated in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, made movements towards the door frame where the gun was located, causing officers to order him to stop reaching toward the door frame.
After the suspect was taken into custody, police located a loaded Glock 42 handgun in the driver’s side door frame, as well as 40 grams of cannabis, 1.2 grams of mushrooms, 12 grams of cocaine, 19 grams of heroin and one pill of MDMA.
The suspect currently has pending theft (Class 1 Felony) and Armed Habitual Criminal (Class X Felony) cases out of Will County. He also has previous felony convictions including Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Gang Member and Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon.
“With multiple felony convictions, there is absolutely no justification whatsoever why [the accused] was in possession of a loaded firearm, as alleged in this case,” Berlin said. “The allegations that he was in possession of a loaded weapon at a family-friendly recreation facility are extremely troubling and if found guilty of today’s charges, he will find himself facing a significant amount of time behind bars.”
“I continue to stress that the Naperville Police Department is proactive in seizing illegal weapons, and this case is just the latest example,” Arres said. “Our officers are making an extraordinary effort to keep this community safe, and I appreciate the hard work they put in on this case and many others.” I also want to thank DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his office for their continued collaboration on these matters.”
The accused’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 27, 2023, for arraignment in front of Judge Brian Telander.
