Police report that Jacqueline Beard had an unexpected moment when she searched for her ID after officers stopped her for smoking at the Roosevelt Red Line station on Friday. While rummaging through her bag, officers noticed a loaded firearm, escalating the situation from a simple citation to a felony charge for the 24-year-old.
This is not Beard’s first encounter with gun charges. Court records indicate she was previously given “first time weapon offender probation” for a gun possession case in 2023. Perhaps this time will yield different results for her.
According to the Chicago Police Department, officers from the Public Transportation Section noticed Beard smoking inside a train car at the Loop station around 7:15 p.m. on August 14. They asked her to step onto the platform and requested her ID to issue a citation.
While Beard searched her purse for identification, officers spotted a firearm, which is prohibited on the city’s transit system. The police confiscated the loaded weapon and arrested Beard after confirming she lacked a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card or concealed carry license.
Prosecutors requested Judge James Costello to detain Beard as a public safety threat on a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. However, he decided against it and released her pending trial, as per court records.
Beard’s earlier gun case dates back to August 2022, when she was accused of illegally possessing a firearm in a vehicle in Englewood. She was subsequently granted “first time weapon offender probation” and 50 hours of community service by Judge Tyria Walton. After fulfilling her probation terms, the charge was dismissed and did not result in a felony conviction.
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