A 29-year-old man has been charged with multiple felonies after a loaded firearm and drugs were found during a court-ordered eviction in Burnham, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on March 17, sheriff’s deputies arrived at residence in the 14100 block of South Hoxie Avenue in Burnham to enforce a court ordered eviction. Deputies entered the location after receiving no response at the door.
Deputies could smell a strong odor of marijuana upon entering the home. They found a man inside, later identified as Willie Chapman, a resident of the location, and advised him a court ordered eviction was being enforced.
During the eviction, deputies recovered a firearm and a bag of suspected marijuana and bag of what appeared to be pills that were found in plain sight in an upstairs bedroom. In a bathtub, deputies found a clear bag filled with smaller plastic bags containing suspected marijuana. In another room, on the floor was a clear plastic container of pills, suspected to be ecstasy.
The .45 caliber firearm was loaded and had a 30 round clip. Chapman did not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card.
Chapman was taken into custody. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon; a class 3 felony; possession of ecstasy, a class 1 felony and manufacturing/delivery of cannabis, a class 3 felony. He was also charged with not having a FOID card, a misdemeanor.
Chapman received a $25,000-D bond during his court appearance today at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse. His next court date is scheduled for March 21 at the Markham Courthouse.
Sheriff Dart reminds the public that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.