Police officers arrested a Zion man, who is a convicted felon, after finding him with a loaded gun as he was driving around a Lake Forest neighborhood.
Officers with the Lake Forest Police Department were conducting heightened subdivision patrols Saturday evening due to recent overnight vehicle burglaries and auto thefts.
The officers observed a silver Dodge Charger driving in a suspicious manner.
After observing the vehicle make several traffic violations, a traffic stop was conducted at Rockefeller Road and McCormick Drive in Lake Forest.
Officer spoke to the driver, identified as Barron Mhoon, 49, of Zion, and smelled the odor of alcohol on the man’s breath.
Mhoon began acting suspiciously when officers asked him to exit his vehicle for further investigation, police said.
Mhoon admitted to having a gun in his front pocket when officers told him they were going to pat him down. Mhoon was placed in handcuffs and searched.
Officers located a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun in his front pocket and found an additional loaded extended magazine in the vehicle.
Officers determined Mhoon is a convicted felon with two past incarcerations in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
He has a “long criminal history” including a recent conviction for aggravated battery to a police officer, officials said.
Mhoon was transported to the Lake Forest Police Department where he was processed and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office was contacted for approval of felony charges.
He was charged with unauthorized use of a weapon by a felon, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, driving under the influence of alcohol and cited for several traffic violations.
Mhoon appeared in bond court and was ordered held in the Lake County Jail on a $100,000 bond.