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Officers find loaded handgun inside vehicle towed at Joliet AutoZone

A man convicted of aggravated robbery was arrested and charged with possessing a loaded handgun inside of a vehicle that he initially reported stolen in Joliet, police said.

The vehicle had been towed on Sunday from a dry retention pond area just south of AutoZone, 815 N. Larkin Avenue, according to a news release from Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Kevin Champion, 34, of Bolingbrook, was charged with unlawful possession of a 9 mm handgun after he was convicted of aggravated robbery in a 2010 case in Will County. He pleaded guilty to the offense on Sept. 20, 2011, court records show.

The incident that led to Champion’s arrest began about 6:46 a.m. Sunday when officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at the parking lot of AutoZone, English said.

Officers encountered Champion, who indicated to them that his Dodge Challenger may have been stolen, English said.

Officers checked the area and found the vehicle in the dry retention pond in an area behind the store and also saw tire marks from the vehicle in a nearby parking lot that led into the grass, English said.

Champion indicated to the officers he was operating the vehicle before leaving it in the grass during the overnight hours, English said.

Officers summoned a tow truck to remove the vehicle from the retention area and saw a handgun on the passenger floorboard while it was being towed, English said. Officers recovered the loaded handgun, he said.

Source: The Daily Chronicle

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