Lake Forest man pleads not guilty to weapons charges

A Lake Forest man charged with maintaining an arsenal in his home after his Firearms Owner's Identification card was revoked pleaded not guilty Thursday in Lake County Circuit Court.

Police seized 85 weapons, including two .50-caliber machine guns, from the home of Benjamin Stevens, 49, on May 8.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Ari Fisz said the cache also included a .50-caliber sniper rifle, an Uzi, a .30-caliber rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Fisz said Steven's FOI card was revoked in 2002 by Illinois State Police, making any weapons possession charge against him a felony.

Fisz said a confidential informant alerted police to the weapons at Stevens' home at 1991 Telegraph Road. The investigation was conducted by state and Lake Forest police, with the assistance of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Associate Judge Christopher Stride scheduled a trial of the case for Sept. 8, and ordered Stevens to appear in court Aug. 20.

Fisz said Stevens faces up to three years in prison if convicted.