Pistol And Pot Found On Pair Pulled Over For Speeding: Police

EVANSTON, IL — Police said two men face felony drug and gun charges after a traffic stop on a speeding van Friday night in Evanston. An officer in the area of Dodge Avenue and Lee Street noticed a silver Chrysler headed southbound on Dodge around 10:15 p.m. going 40 mph, according to police. The speed limit in the area is 25 mph.

Police said the officer smelled marijuana wafting from inside the van and called for a K-9 unit to assist in a search. The search revealed two backpacks in the van. One contained 127 grams of suspected cannabis oil and 7 grams of suspected marijuana flower. The other backpack had a loaded 9mm handgun and $2,500 in cash, as well as a trace amount of suspected cannabis, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Both the driver, Christoper Cobbs, 36, of Evanston, and the passenger, Willie Watkins, 36, of west suburban Berkeley, were arrested and interviewed by police. Glew said Cobbs admitted the backpack with the cannabis belonged to him, while Watkins admitted being in possession of the other backpack with the gun inside.

Cobbs was charged with felony possession of between 100 and 500 grams of cannabis and issued a ticket for speeding. Watkins was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, according to Glew. No bond information was immediately available for either man.