A traffic stop early Wednesday morning in Oak Brook resulted in the arrest of a Villa Park man, who was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender — a Class X felony — and one count of misdemeanor unlawful possession of marijuana by driver, police said.
Joshua Griffin, 31, of the 500 block of North Third Avenue, in the western suburb, reportedly was stopped by Oak Brook police about 12:15 a.m. Feb. 19 near 22nd Street and Park View Drive, as the vehicle driven by Griffin had suspended license plates, police said.
During the traffic stop, officers conducted a search of the vehicle, after reportedly detecting the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Oak Brook police reported searching the vehicle and finding a loaded, Taurus .40 caliber handgun in the glove box. Further investigation revealed that Griffin is a convicted felon, who does not have a valid Firearm Owners Identification card or Concealed Carry License, according to information from the office of DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.
“By law, as a convicted felon Mr. Griffin has forfeited his right to possess a firearm.,” Berlin said in a statement. “Because of his alleged actions, Mr. Griffin now finds himself facing a possible penalty of between six to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.”
“Our officers remain vigilant in looking beyond traffic stops and taking guns off the street from individuals that do not legally possess them,” Oak Brook police Chief Brian Strockis added.
DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s motion to deny pretrial release for Griffin, whose next court date is scheduled for March 17 in front of DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.