URBANA, Illinois – University of Illinois Police officers recovered a stolen, loaded gun and arrested its owner during a weekend traffic stop.
Terrain T. Minnieweather, 21, of Champaign, was arrested at 5:01 a.m. Saturday near California and Busey avenues, Urbana, for possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and illegal possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle.
Minnieweather was a passenger of a vehicle that initially was stopped for speeding. Officers searched the vehicle after smelling an odor of cannabis and found a loaded handgun in the glove compartment along with several boxes of ammunition. A records check revealed that the gun had been reported stolen out of Chicago.
Police also found a bag of cannabis on the vehicle floor.
After speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, police determined that Minnieweather was the owner of the handgun and had placed it in the glove compartment to conceal it from officers while the vehicle was being stopped.
He was arrested and taken to the Champaign County Jail. The driver was issued a citation for speeding.
