A DuPage County judge on Monday ordered a Naperville man with a prior felony record to stay behind bars until trial, after prosecutors said they found a cache of guns and drugs that included a pistol allegedly altered to fire automatically and what they called a shortened AR-15 "ghost gun." The ruling followed an arrest last week and a search that prosecutors say uncovered hundreds of grams of suspected cocaine and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, a mix authorities argued made pretrial release too risky.
Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state's motion to deny pretrial release. Prosecutors say investigators seized several loaded handguns, a loaded shortened AR-15 "ghost gun," a .22 pistol fitted with an automatic switch and reported stolen out of Country Club Hills, and additional pistols reported stolen out of Whiteside County. They also report recovering roughly 753 grams of suspected cocaine, about $47,120 in U.S. currency, and a stolen Ford Raptor key fob, according to a post by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
How prosecutors say the case unfolded
Authorities say Naperville officers first spotted a 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor with Tennessee plates in early January and tried to pull it over after a traffic violation on Jan. 15, 2026. The driver allegedly took off instead of stopping. According to prosecutors, 46-year-old Dionte Neustadter was taken into custody last Tuesday on the 1100 block of East Ogden Avenue, and booking records show he was processed on Feb. 24, 2026, as listed in Arrests.org. Prosecutors say about 21 grams of cocaine were found on him at the time of the arrest.
Charges and penalties
Neustadter is charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, specifically cocaine, between 400 and 900 grams, which is a Class X felony, along with possession of a machine gun, eight counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, and aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Under Illinois law, a Class X felony carries a determinate prison term of 6 to 30 years and can be extended in more serious cases, as outlined by FindLaw.
Officials and community response
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres praised detectives for the volume of work that went into the investigation, saying they "processed an extraordinary amount of evidence and information and put together a solid case," according to the release. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin also commended officers for recovering the firearms and drugs prosecutors say posed a threat to public safety. In court, prosecutors argued that the alleged combination of weapons, drug quantities, and a stolen-vehicle allegation justified keeping Neustadter in custody pending trial.
Where this fits locally
Officials say the case fits a pattern in Naperville where routine traffic enforcement has led to firearm seizures, a trend highlighted in previous joint releases from the city and county. In a recent example, the city pointed to another traffic stop that ended in a weapons arrest in a notice from the City of Naperville. Local leaders have repeatedly credited proactive patrol work with getting dangerous weapons away from busy public spaces, a point officials emphasized again in the latest release.
Neustadter is next scheduled to appear in court on March 23, 2026, before Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh. Authorities stress that the complaint contains only charges and is not proof of guilt.
