Working the crime beat can be a real downer sometimes. So, it’s important to find relief when an oddball case comes our way. Like these:
A three-time convicted felon is being held without bail thanks to a loudmouth friend who was apparently trying to help him.
Larry Ransom, 48, was hanging out in a backyard with friends earlier this week when a Chicago police squad car rolled down the alley. That’s when the not-so-helpful friend got involved.
“Man! You got a gun! There’s five-o!” the individual allegedly yelled to Ransom.
The warning was apparently loud enough for the cops to hear. They stopped their car, got out, and saw Ransom sitting in a folding chair with his back to them. As they looked at him, a gun fell off his lap and onto the ground, prosecutors said.
The officers seized the gun and arrested Ransom, who was already on bail for a three-week-old felony drug case. He’s now charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him held without bail for violating the terms of release in that case. She set bail for the gun charge at $50,000.
Gravity works again
Speaking of guns falling to the ground at inopportune moments, an 18-year-old faces felony charges after a gun allegedly fell through a hole in his pants while cops were standing next to him inside an Old Town store last month.
Daniel Washington and the cops were inside the store on the 1400 block of North Sedgwick when the officers heard an ominous “thud” nearby. You know the rest. He posted a $500 deposit to get out of jail.
Subtlety is for losers
Keeping a low profile is important if you want to be a successful criminal. Don’t put a gun in your pocket if there’s a hole in it. And don’t go walking around the Loop with a cash register, either.
Around 3:20 a.m. on August 16, an employee called police after someone stole the cash register from Dunkin’, 39 West Jackson, so officers in the local police district’s surveillance room began reviewing camera feeds from the area. They quickly spotted a man walking into the Jackson Blue Line station with a cash register and continued to watch as he transferred to the Red Line.
Patrol officers arrived in time to see Darius Moss, 32, sitting on the train with a cash register, prosecutors said. They arrested him.
He’s charged with misdemeanor theft. Prosecutors said he’s on parole for robbery, too.
“You’re lucky you weren’t charged with something greater than theft,” Judge Arthur Willis said before releasing Moss on a recognizance bond.
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