Illinois man faces drug, gun charges after Evanston traffic stop
The gun seized by Evanston police during a traffic stop last Wednesday. | Provided
EVANSTON, Ill. -
A Melrose Park man was arrested after police found a gun and drugs in his vehicle during a traffic stop last week in Evanston.
Traffic stop
The backstory:
The traffic stop happened just before 2 a.m. Wednesday after police noticed a vehicle driving without its headlights.
The driver, 26-year-old Anthony Tellez, told police he had a handgun in the vehicle but that he possessed a concealed carry license (CCL), according to the Evanston Police Department.
During the traffic stop, officers reported seeing a "THC smoking device" and learned that Tellez did not have a CCL.
A search of the vehicle netted a loaded Smith & Wesson .45 caliber handgun, roughly 39 grams of cannabis and 63 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, police said.
Tellez was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of cannabis. He was also issued several traffic citations.
A passenger who was riding with Tellez was released without charges.
What's next:
Tellez, who was not detained by the Cook County Sheriff, has a court appearance scheduled for March 11 at the Skokie Courthouse.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Evanston Police Department.