A late-night traffic stop in Naperville ended with a Downers Grove man jailed and a judge denying him pretrial release after officers say they found a loaded handgun tucked under an infant's car seat.
Prosecutors allege that Antoine Street, 40, hid a loaded 9mm Ruger, with one round in the chamber, beneath the seat where his 1-year-old daughter was strapped in. Authorities say the gun was discovered less than an inch from where Street had been sitting in the back seat, and he now faces both felony and misdemeanor charges.
Details From The Traffic Stop
Naperville police pulled over the vehicle at about 10:47 p.m. Tuesday. According to reporting by the Daily Herald, Street was seated in the back passenger-side seat, next to the middle rear seat, where his daughter was buckled in.
Officers say they recovered a loaded 9mm Ruger with one round in the chamber tucked beneath the occupied child seat. Prosecutors noted that the gun's handle was facing Street and the barrel was pointed toward the driver's side, and that the pistol was "less than an inch" from where he had been sitting, according to the Daily Herald.
When officers told Street he was under arrest and ordered him out of the vehicle, he allegedly resisted and "ultimately had to be forced out by officers." After taking him into custody, officers searched the car and say they found approximately 32 grams of cannabis on Street, according to Patch, which cited a DuPage County State's Attorney's Office release.
Judge Denies Pretrial Release
A DuPage County judge granted prosecutors' motion to deny pretrial release, ordering that Street remain in custody as the case moves forward. Judge Joshua Dieden signed the order after prosecutors argued that detention was warranted under the circumstances of the traffic stop, Shaw Local reported.
Prosecutors And Police Respond
In a news release, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin called the decision to place a loaded handgun under an occupied child car seat "inconceivable" and praised the officers for securing the weapon before anyone was hurt. Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres also commended his officers as proactive and said the arrests removed offenders from the streets, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office on Facebook. DuPage County State's Attorney's Office
Charges And Next Steps
Street is charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon concealed in a vehicle, a Class 4 felony that prosecutors say involved having the gun in the car without a FOID card or concealed-carry license. He also faces misdemeanor counts of resisting a police officer, endangering the health or life of a child, and unlawful possession of cannabis by a passenger, according to local reporting. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 2, the Daily Herald reports.
The DuPage County State's Attorney's Office release closes with a reminder that a criminal complaint contains only allegations and is not evidence of guilt. Street, like all defendants, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law, and prosecutors noted that the investigation is still active. DuPage County State's Attorney's Office
