Cook County crime: Man charged after ghost gun found; $1.3M in stolen cargo recovered in separate case
COOK COUNTY, Ill. - A suburban Chicago man is facing a felony charge after Cook County Sheriff's Police said they found a loaded ghost gun during a traffic stop, while deputies also announced recovering more than $1.3 million in stolen cargo from two trailers in a separate investigation.
Ghost gun arrest
What we know:
Officers stopped a silver Chevrolet Equinox around 6:55 p.m. on June 23 in the 4100 block of 135th Street in Robbins because of a traffic violation.
While speaking with the driver, sheriff's police learned that suspected marijuana was inside the SUV and asked 20-year-old Chavarous Graves of Robbins to get out while they searched the vehicle for narcotics.
During the search, officers reported finding a loaded ghost gun, meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable. It was equipped with a laser sight and a blue pistol grip.
According to the sheriff's office, Graves did not have a valid FOID card or a concealed carry license.
Graves was taken into custody and while searching him, officers also recovered his cellphone, which had a lock screen photo showing what appeared to be the same gun with the blue pistol grip.
Chavarous Graves
Later that night, Graves was charged with one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. He was released from custody the next day after his first court appearance in Markham.
Stolen trailers recovered
In a separate case, the Sheriff's Police Organized Retail Crime Unit recovered two stolen trailers containing more than $1.3 million worth of products.
Investigators said they received information June 18 that a trailer carrying about $300,000 worth of copper wire stolen from Pine Hill, Alabama, was at a truck yard in the 2500 block of East Higgins Road in unincorporated Elk Grove Township.
When officers arrived, they found the trailer and the copper wire inside. They also learned the trailer had Indiana license plates that were reported stolen in Wisconsin.
The owner of the truck yard told investigators the same person had dropped off another trailer the week before.
Investigators contacted the owner of that trailer and learned it had been reported stolen June 10 from Jacksonville, Florida. It contained about $1 million in infrastructure equipment for data centers.
Stolen cargo found in two trailers in northwest suburbs.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear when Graves is due back in court.
As for the cargo theft investigation, sheriff's police have not identified the person who delivered the stolen trailers or announced any arrests.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Cook County Sheriff's Office.