Drugs, weapons charges follow single-car accident

A 21-year old Orlando, Florida, man was being held Saturday in Cook County Jail on drug and weapons charges stemming from a single-car accident in Prospect Heights.

Police about 5 a.m. Thursday responded to a report of an accident on eastbound Palatine Road in the express lanes at Plaza Drive and found that a 2013 Acura had struck a guardrail.

The driver, identified as Jovanne Diaz-Lopez, was not injured but observed to have bloodshot, glassy eyes, slurred speech, swayed while speaking and had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, police said.

Diaz-Lopez was unable to locate his wallet when asked for his license and proof of insurance, according to police and consented to have an officer help look for the wallet inside the car.

Police said they found 21 individually wrapped pieces of suspected crack cocaine and saw a loaded Smith and Wesson 732 .32 caliber revolver with six rounds in the chamber protruding from under the driver's seat. A partially consumed bottle of vodka was found on the passenger floorboard, police said. Diaz-Lopez was taken into custody and a breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.084, according to police.

He was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and DUI. He appeared in Cook County circuit court Saturday.