A Gillespie man was charged with three counts of felony gun charges and a driving under the influence of alcohol charge after a Gillespie police officer stopped him on Monday, December 28, 2015, for speeding.
Ryan E. Heeren, 33, of Gillespie, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons (Class 2 felony), aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (Class 2 felony), possession of a weapon by a felon (Class 3 felony), and unlawful use of a weapon.
In addition to the four felony complaints, Heeren faces traffic charges for driving on a revoked driver’s license, making an improper turn signal, speeding 85 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone, failure to dim headlights and illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver.
Heeren, convicted of a felony in Macoupin County in 2015, allegedly was in possession of an AR-15 rifle that was loaded, uncased and immediately accessible to him when police stopped the black Chevrolet Silverado on Illinois Route 16 near Red School Road. Heeren also is accused of being in possession of a silencer for the firearm, a Class 3 felony.
The driving under the influence of alcohol charge was elevated to a felony during to previous convictions for the same offense on Heeren’s record from Dec. 17, 2008, Feb. 23, 2009, and Jan. 7, 2015, all in Macoupin County.
Heeren was being held on a $50,000 bond and was released from custody on Monday, January 4 after posting a 10% cash bond of $5,000. Preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 22.
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