CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Officers with the University of Illinois Police Department arrested a man on Saturday after they found a loaded gun in his possession during a traffic stop.
The traffic stop started at 4:21 a.m. when a UIPD officer observed a car driving 20 miles over the speed limit. After puling the car over and arriving at the car on foot, the officer saw an open container of alcohol on the floor and a burnt marijuana cigar in the center console.
Seeing this, the officer asked the three occupants to get out of the car so it could be searched. The gun was found underneath the passenger seat and the person sitting in that seat was 18-year-old Tramon Roper of Champaign. He was arrested on an aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge and was taken to the Champaign County Jail. He has since been released.
Officers said Roper does not have a gun owner ID nor a concealed carry license. State law also forbids guns from being loaded and readily accessible inside a car; they must be unloaded and kept in an enclosed case.
The Champaign Police Department assisted in the traffic stop and UIPD officials said they continue to appreciate their partnership with the CPD. The driver of the car was ticketed for speeding and driving an uninsured vehicle.