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Naperville college students charged after loaded gun, weed found in campus dorm: prosecutors

By Cody King
Published  February 2, 2026 3:20pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A North Central College student accused of possessing a loaded firearm in a campus dorm will remain in custody until his next court date.
    • Police said officers found a loaded handgun and extended magazine in the dorm room and dozens of bags of cannabis belonging to a co-defendant.
    • The co-defendant was released with conditions, while both are scheduled to return to court in early March.

NAPERVILLE - Two students at a Naperville college are facing felony charges after authorities said a loaded gun and marijuana were discovered in their campus dorm room.

What we know:

Kurtis Cruz, 18, of Merrillville, Ind., a student at North Central College, appeared in court Sunday morning charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in a school, a Class 3 felony, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. A judge granted the state's motion to detain Cruz until his next court date. 

A co-defendant, Diyonnes King, 18, of Elgin, also appeared in court Sunday. He is charged with delivery of cannabis on school grounds, a Class 2 felony, and delivery of cannabis between 30 and 500 grams, a Class 3 felony.

Prosecutors said King was released because he is not charged with a detainable offense. As a condition of his release, King is not allowed to enter North Central College dormitories.

(From left) Pictured is Kurtis Cruz and Diyonnes King. 

The backstory:

North Central College campus safety officers contacted Naperville police at about 1:11 a.m. Jan. 31 after noticing a strong odor of cannabis and loud music coming from the suspects' dorm room, authorities said.

When officers made contact with Cruz and King, they allegedly observed a loaded handgun and a loaded firearm magazine inside the room.

Naperville police arrived shortly afterward and recovered the firearm with a loaded 26-round extended magazine and one round in the chamber from a black backpack near a safe under Cruz’s bed, prosecutors said.

Police also found 39 bags of cannabis inside a gray backpack belonging to King on the opposite side of the room.

What they're saying:

"A college campus is supposed to be a safe place for learning and growth, not a place where students and staff alike have to be concerned for their personal safety," Berlin said. "The allegation that Mr. Cruz was in possession of a fully loaded weapon with a twenty-six-capacity extended magazine on a college campus is very alarming," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. 

 "Keeping our students, staff, and community safe is our top priority. This incident involved allegations of illegal drug sales and a loaded firearm on a college campus, which is very concerning," said Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres. 

What's next:

Cruz is scheduled to return to court March 3. King’s next court date is March 2, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

The Source: The information in this article was provided by the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. 

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