Gun In 3-Year-Old's Safety Seat, Stolen AR-15 In Trunk: Sheriff

MANHATTAN, IL — A Carbondale woman was charged after deputies found two guns, one of which was stolen, in her car — including one in the front drawer of a booster seat that a 3-year-old had been sitting in, the Will County Sheriff's Office said.

Nicole Horton, 24, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapon, four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm/ammunition, four counts of no FOID card, and possession of a stolen firearm.

Authorities said deputies from the criminal interdiction team were patrolling Sunday near I-57 and Manhattan-Monee Road in Peotone Township. Deputies said they saw a speeding car with a defective windshield and conducted a traffic stop.

Deputies said they approached the passenger side of the car and smelled a strong odor of cannabis. They said they also saw a 3-year-old child in a safety seat in the back. Deputies spoke to the passenger as well as the driver, identified as Horton, and searched the vehicle.

Deputies said they found an AR-15 in the trunk, along with a 9 mm handgun in the front drawer of the child safety seat that the 3-year-old was using. They also found two AR-15 magazines with ammunition and 9 mm ammunition, deputies said.

According to deputies, a weapons check of the guns indicated that the AR-15 had been reported stolen a few months ago from a police vehicle in southern Illinois.

All three people in the car were taken to the investigation unit, the sheriff's office said. The passenger was released from custody pending further investigation.

The child was being held in protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services.