Chicago man arrested for stealing handgun in Evanston last year

A man was arrested during a traffic stop in north suburban Evanston early Monday for stealing a handgun during a burglary in July 2016.

About 1 a.m. Monday, patrol officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for having expired registration at Howard Street and Western Avenue, according to Evanston police.

While the officers spoke to 22-year-old Jacquese T. Sims and the 28-year-old woman in the passenger seat, they noticed a handgun on the driver’s side floorboard, police said. Sims and the woman were taken into custody and the loaded .45 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun was recovered.

A serial number check of the gun revealed the weapon had been stolen during an Evanston burglary in July 2016, police said. Sims and the woman were taken to the Evanston police department.

Sims, of the 7600 block of North Rogers in Chicago, is currently on parole and was charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by felon; two counts of possession of a firearm/ammunition without a valid firearm owner’s identification card; and 2 traffic violations, an expired registration and no driver’s license on person.

The Chicago woman was released without charges, police said. Due to the circumstances of the arrest, the Illinois Department of Corrections issued a parole violation warrant for Sims.