Odd charge in arrest

[Cellar Dweller]

article here

Man arrested on gun charges

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

ROCKFORD — A man who wanted to see whether his AK-47 assault rifle and his .22-caliber handgun “were operable” fired off some rounds at a tree in a residential area at 5:45 a.m. Thursday.

Deputy Chief Greg Lindmark said police were dispatched to the 5400 block of Winding Creek Drive on a report of shots fired.

Officers spotted the alleged gunman, Michael J. Condon, 45, of Rockford. After questioning him, officers found both weapons in the trunk of his vehicle.

Condon was arrested on a charge of a concealed weapon by a school or public place.

He was still being held Thursday night in the Winnebago County Jail on $3,500 bond.

Mapquest shows the nearest school (Guilford HS) is ~0.70 miles by road, or a little over a half-mile as the crow flies.

The charge filed doesn't make immediate sense. Something like "discharging a firearm within the city limits," "reckless endangerment," or even the catch-all "disturbing the peace" does make sense. If the article is otherwise accurate (AK-47 "assault rifle" ), if the guy shut-up and lawyered-up, if the guns were cased when the police arrived...should be an interesting outcome.

 

[steveno]

he probably could have picked a better place to do his test firing and he wouldn't be in any trouble. I would probably call the cops if somebody was firing a gun in a residential area early in the morning.