Seatbelt Stop Spots Sig Sauer Sans Serial Number

EVANSTON, IL — Police found an illegal gun, an unauthorized prescription pad and about a half-ounce of marijuana after pulling over a vehicle because a passenger was not wearing a seat belt Tuesday. Evanston Police detectives pulled over the vehicle, which was occupied by four Chicago men, around 7:38 p.m. in the 1200 block of Howard Street while they were deployed on a violence reduction initiative, according to Cmdr. Joseph Dugan.

All three passengers inside now face charges related to what police found after searching the car.

When detectives walked over to the vehicle, they said they smelled marijuana. They asked everyone to leave the vehicle, and as they did so, detectives noticed a handgun was visibly sticking out of the lower door storage pocket, Dugan said. After taking all four men into custody, officers recovered a loaded Sig Sauer .22 caliber handgun with the serial number removed.

Eric L. Wilson, 25, of the 8000 block of South Maryland in Chicago, was sitting in the rear passenger seat where the gun was found, according to Dugan. He was arrested and charged with felony unlawful use of a handgun by a convicted felon on parole and two misdemeanor counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a valid firearms owner's identification card.

Wilson was being detained at Cook County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office. Illinois Department of Corrections records indicate he was convicted of armed robbery, drug possession and unauthorized use of a credit card.

While searching the vehicle, police also found a prescription pad along with loose prescriptions on one of the men in the back seat. Some of them had been filled out to acquire codeine, police said.

Martell D. Harris, 26, of the 1600 block of West 61st Street, was identified as the rear passenger and charged with felony unauthorized possession of a prescription form, according to Dugan.

The search of the vehicle also turned up 13 grams of cannabis from a storage area under the front passenger seat, police said. The 18-year-old front passenger was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and cited for failing to wear a seat belt.

Police said the 27-year-old driver of the vehicle was released without charges.

Top photo: A gun Evanston police say they recovered from the lower door storage pocket of a vehicle detectives stopped because of a passenger not wearing a seat belt | Evanston PD