Evanston Felon Found With Handgun In Minivan

EVANSTON, IL — A 31-year-old Evanston felon faces fresh gun crimes after officers found a loaded revolver under his seat Friday evening. Police noticed a Chrysler Pacifica with it's license plate light not working around 7:22 p.m. around the 800 block of Howard. Cops pulled over the van in a few blocks away and spoke with the driver and the passenger.

Police searched the Pacifica after smelling marijuana coming from inside of it, and officers found a loaded Rossi Model M720 .44 caliber Smith and Wesson Special underneath the front passenger seat, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Both the passenger and the driver were taken to the station for questioning, he said.

The passenger in the van admitted that he was the one in possession of the handgun, so the driver was released without any charges other than a traffic citation, according to Glew.

Steven C. Dykes, 31, of the 1800 block of Brown Avenue, Evanston, has been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and one count of possession of a handgun without a firearm owners identification card after the gun was found under his seat, police said.

At the time of his arrest, according to arrest and jail records, Dykes had been booked into Cook County jail on a separate armed habitual criminal charge in January 2017. Dykes was also arrested in Chicago 2015 on drug and gun-related charges.

Dykes is due back in court March 13.