Guns, Drugs, Found In Home Of Felon On Electronic Monitoring: Sheriff

CHICAGO — Investigators discovered a cache of guns at a convicted felon’s residence who is on electronic monitoring awaiting trial for murder, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Bertell Johnson, 30, is facing additional felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon possessed by a felon, unlawful use of a machine gun/automatic weapon, manufacturing and deliver of cannabis 30-500 grams, a possession of a controlled substance cocaine 15+ grams, and manufacturing oxycodone 50-100 grams.

Electronic monitoring investigators from the sheriff’s office were tipped off when Johnson posted photos of himself carrying a semi-automatic rifle and handgun modified with a switch that renders the firearm fully automatic, according to the charges. The sheriff’s office conducted a safety compliance check Jan 19 at Johnson’s Chicago Lawn residence.

During their search of Johnson’s residence, sheriff’s police said they found an assault rifle, three handguns, including one with a defaced serial number and an auto-switch attached, a high-capacity 50-round drum magazine, an extended 9mm magazine, two empty 9mm magazines, nearly 150 live rounds of ammunition of various calibers, 16 grams of suspected cocaine, approximately 300 grams of suspected cannabis, 78 suspected oxycodone pills, and approximately $4,000 in cash.

Johnson is a convicted felon who was placed on electronic monitoring in May 2021 while awaiting trial on first-degree murder, first degree attempted murder and aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm. He has previous convictions for gun and drug offenses.

“Mr. Johnson was caught with multiple firearms, ammunition, and a drum magazine while on EM for murder,” Sheriff Dart said in a written statement. “This was an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community, and perfectly illustrates why I have for years argued that individuals charged with violent crimes should not be placed on electronic monitoring.”

Johnson appeared at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse Jan. 20, where a judge ordered him held in custody at the Cook County Jail on the additional felony charges.