Elgin man charged in gun harassment

An Elgin man was accused Monday of harassing his neighbors with a shotgun.

Iv O'Neal Preston, 28, of 1005 Byron Lane #5, Elgin, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, police said.

At 9 p.m. Monday, neighbors called police, saying a man wearing a red hoodie and baggy blue jeans was walking around an apartment building with a gun about 3 feet long, officials said.

Police arrived at the apartment building and found Preston and said he fit the caller's description of the man with the gun.

Police said they found shotgun shells in Preston's pocket and found the shotgun which Preston had taken to a friend's apartment.

Preston said he was outside and walked around the building with a gun because he wanted to scare neighbors who he thought had been banging on his door, police said.

In court on Tuesday, Preston said, "I am not a bad guy. I was just defending my household."

Preston, a convicted felon, received a $15,000 bond which he was unable to post.

He was taken to the Kane County jail with a court date on March 3 at the Kane County Judicial Center.