Joliet Felon Caught With Loaded Gun During Traffic Stop: Cops

Joliet IL

21 September, 2021

12:43 PM

Description

JOLIET, IL — A 47-year-old Joliet resident is now in the Will County Jail after Joliet police say he tried to drive away from a traffic stop near Columbia and Herkimer streets. During Friday night's arrest of Donovan Sims, Joliet police say officers found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in the center console of Sims' car. Sims was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a convicted felon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of ammunition, no Firearm Owners Identification card, obstruction of justice and resisting a peace officer. His passenger, a 45-year-old Joliet man, was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and resisting a peace officer. The passenger, Deangelo Reese, was released on an I-bond. Sims' car was stopped by Joliet police around 10:45 p.m. and "officers detected an odor of burnt cannabis coming from the interior of the vehicle. Reese exited the vehicle, at which time officers recovered suspected cannabis from a bag that he was holding," police reports show. Sims, on the other hand, would not obey the officers when they told him to exit his car, authorities said. Eventually, Sims was told he was being put under arrest and officers opened his car "at which time Sims placed the vehicle in drive and pulled forward a short distance," police said. One of the officers managed to put the car back into park, and Sims was removed from his car and put under arrest, according to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English. "While officers were dealing with Sims, Reese fled the traffic stop. Officers quickly caught up to Reese and placed him into custody near North Eastern Avenue and State Street," police said. After searching Sims' car, officers seized a .45-caliber handgun and the gun was loaded, police reports show. Sims remains in the Will County Jail unable to post his $50,000 bail. He resides in the 1400 block of Sterling Avenue.