Downers Grove DUI Arrest Nets Illegal Loaded Rifle In Car: Officials

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Bolingbrook man has been denied pre-trial release after he was in illegal possession of a loaded rifle and an unloaded handgun while driving under the influence, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

Gordon Martin, 23, of Bolingbrook, appeared in court Thursday and is facing two counts of unlawful use or possession of weapons by a felon, one count of defacing identification marks of firearms and two counts of misdemeanor DUI.

The charges stem from a Nov. 1 incident in which Downers Grove police officers responded to the Shell gas station, 2212 Ogden Ave., for a man, now identified as Martin, who was overfilling his gas tank, the state's attorney's office said.

Officers arrived and saw both tires of the passenger side of Martin's vehicle were completely deflated, and the car was missing its front bumper, the state's attorney's office said. The bumper was later found at the intersection of Cross Street and Warrenville Road, with a portion of the license plate still attached.

Martin was placed under arrest for suspected DUI, and officer searched his vehicle and found a rifle behind the driver's seat with a loaded magazine and one bullet in the chamber, according to the state's attorney's office. The officer also found a handgun with a defaced serial number under the driver's seat, and a magazine for the gun in the center console, the state's attorney's office said.

Martin has a prior conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and does not have a FOID card or a concealed carry license.

The state's attorney's office said Martin's blood alcohol content was .172. The legal limit in Illinois is .08.

“The danger posed to the public when a convicted felon is found to be in possession of a weapon, let alone a loaded rifle as alleged in this case, is obvious and will not be tolerated in DuPage County,” State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a release. “The law is very clear, as a convicted felon who is ineligible for both a FOID card or a CCL, Mr. Martin is prohibited from owning a firearm and there is absolutely no justification that would allow him to do so, as alleged in this case. I thank the Downers Police Department for their quick response to the initial call on this case as well as their follow-up work that resulted in removing two dangerous weapons, one of which is untraceable, from our streets. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Alyssa Rabulinski and Anthony Raimondi for their work in preparing a strong case against Mr. Martin.”

Martin will appear in court on Nov. 16 for arraignment in front of Judge Brian Telander.