3 men held on gun charges in Hoffman Estates cases
A man who police discovered apparently asleep in a car with a loaded gun in his lap is among three men ordered held on $10,000 bond each Friday after two separate gun-related incidents in Hoffman Estates, authorities said.
According to prosecutors, Robert Oliver Jr., 22, of Elmwood Park, was in the front passenger's seat of a car in a hotel parking lot at 11:46 p.m. Thursday in the 2700 block of Greenspoint Parkway in Hoffman Estates.
Neither Oliver nor the car's other occupant, Kyrin Blount, 20, were guests at the hotel, said Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Nicole Murphy.
Oliver "appeared to be sleeping with a pistol resting on his lap," said Murphy, who described the gun as a 9 mm semi-automatic with a laser attachment. In addition, police found an AR-15 rifle broken down in two pieces in a duffel bag that also contained mail addressed to Oliver, Murphy said.
Oliver has a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card but does not possess a concealed carry permit, Murphy said.
Blount, who prosecutors say does not have a valid FOID card, was sitting in the back seat. Officers found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol in a backpack that Blount told police was his, Murphy said.
Blount is charged with possession of a firearm without a FOID card. Oliver is charged with unlawful use of a weapon. Both are felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Probation is also an option. Cook County Judge Ellen Mandeltort ordered Oliver and Blount to submit to electronic monitoring. They next appear in court Feb. 8.
In a separate incident that occurred at 8:14 p.m. Thursday on Hassell Road in Hoffman Estates, police officers detected the odor of burned cannabis coming from a parked car in which Larry Murphy, 28, of Hanover Park, was a passenger, Nicole Murphy said. Police recovered from his left jacket pocket a 9 mm gun loaded with 15 hollow-point rounds and two boxes of ammunition, she said.
While Larry Murphy has a valid FOID card, he does not possess a concealed carry permit, Nicole Murphy said. He's charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Probation is also an option. He next appears in court Feb. 8.