Man Rolling 'Blunt' Found With Illegal Gun: Police

EVANSTON, IL — A 21-year-old Evanston man has been charged with gun and drug offenses after Evanston police said they spotted him hiding an illegal gun under his car seat.

William A. Pickering, of the 400 block of Sheridan Road, was arrested shortly before 3:23 p.m. last Wednesday. He faces one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, a class 3 felony, and one count of unlawful possession of cannabis, a class C misdemeanor.

According to Evanston police, Pickering was taken into custody by members of its Neighborhood Enforcement Team were on a deployment patrol near the Chicago border. They were driving southbound in the 7700 block of Paulina Street in Chicago when they spotted a parked vehicle with two men inside.

Police said they noticed the driver was rolling a marijuana cigar.

When officers approached the vehicle, they witnessed the driver, later identified as Pickering, bend forward and reach underneath his seat, police said.

A loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun with an extended 22-round magazine and a marijuana "blunt" were found in the vehicle, according to Evanston police.

Both men were initially taken to the police station, but Pickering's passenger, a 25-year-old Evanston man, was released without charge.

Pickering posted $15,000 bond Friday and was released, according to court records. His next court date is set for June 14.

Top photo | William Pickering | Evanston Police Department