Tattoo parlor busted on weapons charges

The owner of a Lakemoor tattoo parlor and one of his workers are facing multiple criminal charges after a police raid Friday uncovered evidence they were selling switchblade knives, throwing stars, brass knuckles and perhaps fake driver's licenses out of the business, authorities said Tuesday.

Police say they also discovered marijuana in the business - Sideshow Tattoo - as well as the home of its owner, Jason A. Doody, during the investigation.

Doody, 32, of the 600 block of West Rand Road in Lakemoor, faces four felony charges, including unlawful possession of cannabis with the intent to deliver and five misdemeanor weapons charges as a result.

His employee, Richard Koch, 21, of the 100 block of West Riverside Drive in McHenry, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of weapon.

The raid culminated a weeklong investigation that began when a tipster reported that the business, at 105 W. Rand Road, was selling switchblade knives illegally, said McHenry County Sheriff's Sgt. John Koziol.

"We sent an undercover person in the shop and they were able to purchase a knife and observed other items that were illegal," Koziol said. The items, he added, were on display in a glass countertop display case.

Sheriff's deputies, along with Lakemoor Police, Illinois State Police and the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, served a search warrant at the business Friday and seized the weapons as well as marijuana, $8,000 cash and equipment used for making phony driver's licenses.

A later search of Doody's home recovered about 30 grams of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, sheriff's police said.

Doody, who faces a maximum five years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charge, is free after posting $2,500 bond. Koch, who would face up to a year in the county jail if convicted, is free on a $100 bond. Both are scheduled to appear in court Feb. 9.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected, sheriff's police said. The shop was closed Tuesday, according to a recorded message.