Elgin man faces prison for having assault rifles

A 28-year-old Elgin man with a long criminal record was convicted Monday of unlawfully possessing four assault rifles.

Maurice D. Hill, of the 0-99 block of Peachtree Court, faces up to 30 years in prison after being convicted by Judge Timothy Sheldon in a bench trial.

Sheldon found Hill guilty of four counts of armed habitual criminal and four counts of possession of a weapon by a felon. The habitual criminal charge carries a mandatory six- to 30-year prison term.

Elgin police spokeswoman Sue Olafson said police initially arrested Hill April 7 on an unrelated charge.

"He was in jail for an unrelated charge and he gave officers permission to enter his vehicle and they found the guns," Olafson said.

The Kane County state's attorney's office said Hill possessed a Ruger Mini 14 rifle, a Hi-Point model 995 9 mm rifle, an AK-47 assault rifle and an AK 7.62mm assault rifle with a defaced serial number.

Police seized the guns and Hill admitted to police that the guns were his, the office said.

Under Illinois law, an armed habitual criminal is someone who possesses a firearm after having been convicted of two or more forcible felonies and/or violations of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and/or Illinois Cannabis Control Act, according to the state's attorney's office.

Hill previously had been convicted of a 1998 Cook County charge of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a 1999 Kane County charge of aggravated robbery and a 2004 Kane County charge of unlawful delivery of cannabis, the state's attorney's office said. He served prison time for the marijuana and robbery convictions.

Hill's bond was revoked and his next court appearance before Sheldon is Sept. 30 for sentencing.

Kane County Assistant State's Attorney David Belshan prosecuted the case.