Sheriff: Prisoner threw handgun in trash can at Cook County Jail

A prisoner is facing a new charge after he dumped a handgun in a trash can before being processed at the Cook County Jail, authorities said.

Quentin Jones, 25, was booked into the jail at 9:20 a.m. Sunday on domestic battery and criminal damage to property charges, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.

He had a loaded, .32-caliber Kel-Tec handgun, which he discarded in a trash can in the jail’s receiving area, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Kel-Tec is a small handgun, not much larger than the palm of an adult’s hand.

About 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, an officer emptying garbage from containers in the receiving area of the jail noticed the gun in one of the bags, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

The jail was placed on a lockdown for a thorough search as a precautionary measure, according to the sheriff’s office. The lockdown was lifted Thursday.

Jones was charged with possession of a firearm in a penal institution, a felony; and his bail was set at $50,000, according to court records.

He was next scheduled to appear in court Aug. 29.