Cops: Seatbelt Stop Leads To Gun, Dozens Of Bags Of Weed

EVANSTON, IL — Two Chicago men were arrested Sunday, one on a warrant and the other on a felony drug charge, after Evanston police pulled over a car because the driver was not wearing a seat belt, smelled marijuana and discovered marijuana as well as a loaded gun, police said.

Around 7:21 p.m., officers on patrol stopped a vehicle in the 600 block of South Boulevard, according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan. He said police detected the "strong odor" of cannabis coming from inside and conducted a search of the vehicle and its two occupants, eventually discovering over an ounce and a half of cannabis in more than 50 individually wrapped bags.

While looking through the vehicle, officers noticed the rear seat opened up and provided access to the trunk of the vehicle.

Inside the trunk, police reported discovering a loaded Bryco Arms 9 mm handgun. No charges were immediately brought in connection with the gun as police await crime lab results, Dugan said Monday.

In addition to the gun, the trunk contained a book bag with 30 individual small plastic bags of marijuana containing a total of 26 grams.

When officers searched the vehicle's passenger, they found 21 individually packaged bags of cannabis hidden in his trousers for a total weight of 19 grams, according to police.

Both the driver and passenger were detained and taken to Evanston Police headquarters.

Carlos N. Turner, 22, of the 1600 block of W. Jonquil Terrace in Chicago and the passenger in the vehicle, was charged with felony possession of cannabis with intent to deliver over the 19 grams of pot in his pants, police said.

Jerome E. Ames, 29, of the 6559 block of N. Seeley in Chicago and the vehicle's driver, was arrested for an active warrant for parole violation. Ames has not been charged over the cannabis or the firearm and has been returned to Illinois Department of Correction custody, where he is in the final year of an eight-year sentence for attempted murder.

Top photo (from left): Carlos N. Turner (Evanston PD) | Jerome E Ames (IDOC)