A Chicago resident is currently in Cook County Jail after investigators from the Sheriff’s Police reported finding a fully automatic weapon, along with numerous other firearms and thousands of ammunition rounds, during the execution of a firearm restraining order at his residence.
John Williams, aged 50, was apprehended on July 3 in the 4200 block of North Leavitt Street on charges of aggravated battery in a public setting and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as documented in court and Chicago Police records. Initially, prosecutors did not request his detention, and Judge Ankur Srivastava released him on the condition that he surrender his Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and refrain from possessing firearms while awaiting trial, according to court documents.
On July 6, three days later, a woman sought a firearm restraining order against Williams in domestic violence court, as per records. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office stated that its Gun Investigation Team carried out the order on July 9 at the same North Leavitt Street address.
During the search, authorities reportedly recovered 20 firearms, 62 magazines, and over 2,500 rounds of ammunition, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials noted that one of the firearms had been modified with a switch to make it fully automatic, thus classifying it legally as a machine gun.
Williams, whose Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and concealed carry license had both been revoked, was taken into custody at the scene and charged with the unlawful possession of a machine gun, according to the sheriff’s office. He appeared once more before Judge Srivastava at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse located at 26th Street and California Avenue, where the judge ordered his detention pending trial.
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