A 40-year-old Evanston man is facing multiple felony charges after Cook County Sheriff's Eviction Unit deputies say he threw two backpacks and a body armor vest out of a West Ridge apartment window during a court-ordered eviction, only to have his own ID tumble out with the loaded gun and drugs inside. Tremell Richardson was taken into custody at the scene in the 2500 block of West Fitch Avenue and released from custody just a day later, after a judge's ruling at his first appearance hearing.
According to a post from the Cook County Sheriff's Office
, deputies arrived at the apartment around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 3 to enforce an Order of Possession. A witness reported seeing a man throw two backpacks and a body armor vest out of the apartment window, and when deputies checked the ground outside, they found the backpacks waiting for them. Richardson was inside the unit at the time, along with the person named in the eviction order.
Inside the backpacks, deputies located a loaded handgun along with suspected cannabis, cocaine, hydrocodone, ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms — five different substances in all, per the sheriff's account. One of the bags also held a state ID and driver's license bearing Richardson's name, which investigators say tied him directly to the discarded items. The Cook County Sheriff's Police Gun Investigation Team took over the probe into the firearm and the suspected narcotics.
Felony Charges Filed by Prosecutors
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office charged Richardson with being a felon in possession of a weapon, possession of ecstasy, and four separate counts of possession of a controlled substance. West Ridge, where the eviction took place, sits on Chicago's Far North Side near the Evanston border, according to Fox 32 Chicago.
The body armor vest recovered outside the window carries its own legal weight. Under Illinois law, wearing or possessing body armor while in possession of a dangerous weapon during a crime can trigger upgraded felony penalties, per the Cosley Law Office, which notes the statute's definition of body armor extends to military tactical vests as well as soft, pliable Kevlar vests. It's unclear whether that enhancement has been applied in Richardson's case.
A Familiar Name for Evanston Police
Richardson is no stranger to firearm and narcotics charges. Fox 32 Chicago's earlier reporting found that in March 2025, Evanston officers responding to a noise complaint on Dodge Avenue discovered a loaded .40-caliber handgun and a 9mm ghost gun, along with cannabis, cocaine, and heroin, in a parked SUV. He was charged at the time with two felony counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, one felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, and two felony drug possession counts, and was held at Cook County Jail pending an April 2025 court date, the outlet reported.
Under Illinois statute 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon is a Class 3 felony carrying two to 10 years in prison for a first offense, rising to a Class 2 felony punishable by three to 14 years for repeat violations, according to DRD Law, LLC. State law requires no proof the weapon was ever used — mere possession by a felon is enough to constitute the crime.
Why Richardson Was Released
Richardson was ordered released from custody on Sept. 4 following his first appearance hearing at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse. That outcome traces back to Illinois' Pretrial Fairness Act, the SAFE-T Act provision that eliminated cash bail statewide in September 2023. Under the law, judges weigh public safety threat or flight risk rather than a defendant's ability to post bond, and prosecutors must file a formal petition and meet a statutory burden of proof to keep someone detained before trial, per Illinois Legal Aid Online.
Richardson's release came after a judge's ruling at his first appearance hearing.
Under Illinois' pretrial system, prosecutors can seek detention and judges weigh public-safety threats and flight risks rather than a defendant's ability to pay.
Eviction Enforcement Keeps Turning Up Contraband
Cook County Sheriff's Eviction Unit deputies enforce court-ordered Orders of Possession. In Richardson's case, that enforcement led to the recovery of a loaded handgun and suspected drugs outside the apartment window.
Richardson faces pending criminal charges and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
