Man arrested for possessing loaded handgun hours after appearing in Cook County court for other charges
Lamarcus Washington
WILLOWBROOK, Ill. - A Lake Zurich man who was out on bond from Cook County was arrested for possessing a loaded handgun and cannabis Thursday.
Lamarcus Washington, 38, has been charged with one count of armed habitual criminal, one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count on unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and one count of obstructing justice.
At about 8 p.m. Thursday, while conducting surveillance at the Econo Lodge, a Willowbrook police officer observed a suspicious vehicle that had out-of-state license plates exit the parking lot onto 79th Street, prosecutors said.
The officer followed the vehicle, which drove northbound on Route 83, and conducted a traffic stop.
During the stop, the officer noticed that the driver, later identified as Washington, was allegedly not wearing his seatbelt. The officer also allegedly detected the smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle, prosecutors said.
The officer then ordered Washington out of the vehicle, and allegedly located a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm handgun with one round in the chamber and about 115 grams of cannabis.
Washington was then taken into custody.
While investigating the incident, authorities learned that the handgun was reported stolen out of Chicago.
Additionally, authorities learned that Washington was out on bond from Cook County after posting $3,000 bond on charges of armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and possession of cannabis.
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Washington had appeared in Cook County Court on the pending charges the same day he allegedly committed the other offenses in Willowbrook.
A judge denied bail for Washington on Friday.
"It is alleged that Mr. Washington, a convicted felon who posted $3,000 bond on armed habitual criminal and other charges in Cook County, thumbed his nose once again at the law by illegally possessing a loaded handgun as well as approximately 115 grams of cannabis," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin said. "This is the second time in as many days and the fifth time within one month that a DuPage County judge has denied bail for a defendant accused of serious crimes. Again, the message coming from DuPage County is crystal clear, career criminals are not welcome. Law enforcement throughout DuPage County remains vigilant and we will use every tool at our disposal to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone who would commit a crime while in DuPage County."
Washington’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 11.