2 Guns, Laser Sight Found During Evanston Traffic Stop: Police

Evanston IL

03 September, 2021

5:29 PM

Description

EVANSTON, IL — An Evanston man faces a trio of felony firearm charges following a traffic stop Tuesday on Howard Street. Freddie Stanley, 33, of the 2000 block of Darrow Avenue, Evanston, was pulled over while driving his Toyota Solara after an officer reported he failed to signal while headed down Ridge Avenue, according to police, who also said his car's windows were illegally tinted. Officers smelled freshly smoked marijuana and ordered Stanley out of the car, but he refused to step out for about 15 minutes, according to prosecutors. Once he did, police found a fanny pack in the back of the car that contained two loaded handguns, as well as mail bearing Stanley's name and address, authorities said. And in the center console, officers reported they found two loaded magazines. There were no passengers in the car at the time. Stanley confessed that the bag belonged to him after waiving his constitutional right against self-incrimination, according to Assistant State's Attorney Gina Pensa. "I believe he was asked as to the ownership of the fanny pack and did admit that that was his," Pensa said Thursday during a bond hearing. Stanley has a 2010 felony conviction for manufacture or delivery of cannabis, which means he is forbidden from being able to have a firearm owner's identification card. He also has a misdemeanor domestic battery conviction from the same year, Pensa told Cook County Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese. One of the guns was allegedly a Glock with a laser sight and an extended magazine. Evanston police did not release images of either gun upon request Friday. Freddie J. Stanley was arrested Aug. 31 in Evanston and ordered held at Cook County Jail in lieu of the $10,000 cash portion of his bond. (Cook County Sheriff's Office) Stanley faces three felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanor count of possession of ammunition without a FOID card and traffic citations for failure to signal and overly tinted windows, according to police. Defense attorney Jonathan Feldman said that Stanley worked at the Northbrook Mariano's grocery store and was currently enrolled in a nursing program. He also said Stanley's girlfriend had a valid FOID card. Feldman first argued that Stanley had no record of violence in his background before Calabrese pointed out that domestic battery is indeed a violent crime. "Despite the serious allegations, your honor is confronted with a good man," Feldman said. "He's dedicated to customer service, he's bettering his life through nursing program and, quite frankly, the allegation to him and his loving family is nothing short of devastating," he told the judge. "We pray that the court is lenient in terms of its conditions of bond." Calabrese ordered Stanley jailed ahead of trial until he can come up with the $10,000 cash portion of his bond. He is due back in court Sept. 16 in Skokie. "I'm not inclined to be lenient, but I am inclined to be fair," Calabrese said. "These are very difficult and dangerous times and to carry multiple loaded weapons illegally, as alleged, in a motor vehicle, with a laser sight, is an extraordinary circumstance."