Evanston Cops Seize Guns, Arrest 2 in Separate Routine Traffic Stops

EVANSTON, IL - Local police officers seized two handguns in two separate, routine traffic stops over the weekend, leading to multiple arrests and citations.

Evanston Police Department Tactical Unit officers pulled over the first driver, a 24-year-old Morton Grove man, around 6:50 p.m. on Friday, April 14, in Evanston's 2400 block of Oakton Street. The traffic stop was reportedly spurred after police noticed that one of the vehicle's three occupants was not wearing his seat belt.

"The vehicle was curbed in the 3000 block of Oakton Street in Skokie and upon approaching the vehicle, officers detected an odor of cannabis coming from inside," the police report said.

The driver admitted to having a small amount of marijuana in his pocket, which officers recovered. The vehicle's front seat passenger was a 24-year-old Skokie resident man who police said was found with an open bottle of Paul Masson Brandy in his pants.

Backseat rider Virgil M. Houston, 23, of Skokie, then told police that his nearby duffel bag had pot inside.

"A check of the duffel bag revealed a glass jar containing cannabis along with packaging material and a digital scale," police said, in the report. "A further check of the vehicle revealed a loaded Jennings-Bryco .380-caliber handgun from under the rear portion of the front passenger seat."

All three occupants were taken to the Evanston Police Department. Houston was charged with one count each of unlawful use of a weapon, a Class X Felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A Misdemeanor; and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition without having a valid Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card, a Class A Misdemeanor.

He was also issued a citation for not wearing a seat belt. The two 24-year-olds — the driver and front seat passenger — were issued one citation each for violating city ordinances that prohibit pot possession and being in a vehicle with an open container of alcohol.

A little more than four hours later, police reportedly pulled over a different driver who was cruising with a lone headlight near Lyons Street and Darrow Avenue.

"As the vehicle was pulling to the curb, the rear seat passenger, previously known to the officer's as Kevin MJ Logan, (28, of Palatine), quickly exited the vehicle and began to walk away while adjusting his waistband," the report said. "The officers attempted to stop Logan, but he began running."

They then pursued Logan on foot, ending the chase behind a residence in the 1700 block of Lyons Street where officers saw him pitch a handgun. The weapon, a Ruger .380-caliber pistol, was recovered and Logan was taken into custody.

A resident of the 800 block of East Capri Drive in Palatine, Logan was charged with one count each of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, each a Class 3 Felony; and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition without a valid FOID card.

Images (the first, of Logan and the second, of Houston) provided by the Evanston Police Department