A 43-year-old man from Chicago is facing charges related to firearms after Cook County Sheriff’s Police reportedly caught him rolling a joint on the Red Line and subsequently found a loaded gun in his jacket.
At approximately 2:35 p.m. on May 31, deputies were carrying out a routine patrol on a train car at the 69th Street station when they noticed Kenneth Stapleton rolling what seemed to be a cigar filled with a green leafy substance, the sheriff’s office reported on Friday.
Stapleton was taken into custody for breaching CTA regulations, and a check of his records revealed an active warrant for a forgery case, according to officials. During the search, deputies discovered a loaded pistol in his jacket and found that he lacked a Firearm Owner’s Identification card or a concealed carry license, as per the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors filed a charge of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon later that day.
Judge Luciano Panici, Jr. rejected the state’s request to keep Stapleton in custody until trial, choosing instead to place him under electronic monitoring, according to court documents.
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