A 23-year-old Aurora man is in custody after Naperville police allegedly found him illegally in possession of a firearm early Sunday morning. The suspect is a two-time convicted felon and was out on parole.
Yesterday, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres announced that Judge Joshua Dieden had granted the State’s Moton to deny pre-trial release for the suspect, who has been charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Repeat Felony Offender (a Class X Felony); one count of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (a Class 4 Felony); and multiple Misdemeanor offenses including Resisting a Police Officer.
On Sunday at approximately 1:00am, Naperville police officers on patrol near Washington Street and Ogden Avenue observed a vehicle at a gas station with expired license plates. The officers followed the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near 14th Avenue and Main Street. Prior to stopping, one of the officers observed the driver making furtive movements towards the driver’s side floorboard. It is alleged that after the suspect stopped his vehicle, he exited, leaned in towards the driver’s side floorboard and then fled the scene on foot.
The suspect was taken into custody following a brief foot pursuit. When searching the suspect and his vehicle, officers allegedly located a loaded Springfield 9 mm handgun on the driver’s side floorboard of the car as well as sixteen grams of ecstasy on his person.
“In DuPage County, we will continue our efforts to remove illegally possessed firearms from our streets before they can be used in the commission of a crime,” Berlin said. “As a convicted felon who is currently on parole, [the suspect] has forfeited his right to legally possess a firearm. Consequently, if these allegations are proven true, he now finds himself facing a possible penalty of between six to thirty years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.”
