Darien Man Caught With 11 Pounds of Marijuana: Police

DARIEN, IL — A Darien man is accused of possessing more than 11 pounds of marijuana with the intent to distribute it, according to a police report. He was identified as Leroy Burton, 27.

About 6 a.m. Sept. 16, police stopped Burton in the 1100 block of Plainfield Road, where he was parked in a parking lot. Burton was sleeping when an officer approached, with a strong smell of marijuana coming from the car, police said.

Burton was charged with marijuana possession with the intent to distribute, armed violence, possession of more than 500 grams (11 pounds) of marijuana and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, the report said. He was taken to the DuPage County Jail.

Asked about the armed violence charge, Police Chief Greg Thomas said in an email to Patch, "Officers charged him with armed violence because he had a handgun in his vehicle when officers searched the interior of the car. It’s because he was armed when having a felony weight amount of drugs. The title 'Armed Violence' gives a different connotation than what the elements of the crime actually are."