A Chicago, Illinois man who’s no stranger to the criminal justice system is now back behind bars and facing federal charges after cops caught him coming out of a looted store early Monday morning.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, Chicago police officers were in the area of 117th Street and South Marshfield Avenue shortly after midnight Monday when they saw Walton coming out of a store that had been broken into.
Walton tried to get into a Honda in the parking lot but ran when he saw the officers, according to the six-page complaint.
When he returned later to retrieve the car, Walton told officers there was a gun inside the vehicle. “I know I shouldn’t have a gun,” Walton allegedly told police. “I’m on parole for a gun.”
Inside the center console of the Honda police discovered a Walter P22 pistol with a defaced serial number, which is only going to compound Walton’s legal troubles. Under federal law, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by up to ten years behind bars, and possession of a defaced firearm could add another ten years to Walton’s potential sentence.
Walton’s criminal history dates back to 1997, but according to the Chicago Tribune his most recent conviction came in 2016, when he was busted for being a felon in possession of a firearm. That case was handled by Cook County, Illinois prosecutors, and while there’s no word on how much time behind bars he received, it was obviously far less than the ten year sentence he could have served had that case ended up in federal court.
Unfortunately, Walton isn’t the only felon who’s been busted with firearms while protesting or looting over the past few days. In Louisville, Kentucky, police say a convicted felon named Tevin Patton was seen pulling out a gun during a protest on Monday night. He too is now facing federal charges.
Patton ran to his car, however was stopped by police shortly after. Police found a partially loaded .45 caliber pistol in his vehicle.
The Memphis native had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary in 2013, as well as aggravated assault in 2016. He has also previously been charged with domestic violence and fleeing police.
“We cherish First Amendment-protected speech in Kentucky but will not tolerate outsiders traveling to Louisville to do harm to our city and its people,” said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “This type criminal conduct puts both protesters and police at risk.”
In Greensboro, North Carolina, 24-year old Dashawn McKinnon is facing state charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm after he was one of several individuals arrested after bringing weapons to a protest, and we reported yesterday on a felon in Utah who was busted with several firearms on the way to a protest in Salt Lake City after his criminal companion made online threats to kill police officers.
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