For the second time in as many weeks, a convicted felon has been arrested on weapons charges at TopGolf in Naperville after city police doing a foot patrol of the business’ parking lot spotted a gun in a parked vehicle.
Ronald Richardson, 34, of the 12000 block of South Aberdeen Street in Chicago, was taken into custody shortly before midnight Tuesday, Sept. 26, after he and several other people returned to the vehicle, a DuPage County State’s Attorney Office/Naperville Police Department release said.
The gun’s extended magazine could be seen protruding from the window on the driver’s side, which is the seat Richardson took when returning to the vehicle, the release said. Officers recovered a Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun loaded with 19 rounds.
Richardson was charged with being an armed habitual criminal and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, both felonies. He was out on parole for an aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction in Cook County at the time of his arrest.
DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted the prosecution’s request that Richardson be held in custody pre-trial rather than freed until his next court appearance scheduled for Oct. 23.
A very similar arrest was made the night of Sept. 11, when a police officer doing a foot patrol of the TopGolf parking lot at 3211 Odyssey Court noticed a strong odor of cannabis coming from an unoccupied Volkswagen SUV and observed a gun protruding from the driver’s side door frame.
Darron Prince, a 36-year-old Joliet resident, was charged with armed habitual criminal and armed violence, both class X felonies.
Prince is being held without bond while he awaits trials on the DuPage charges and on felony theft and armed habitual criminal cases in Will County. He was previously convicted of unlawful use of a weapon by a gang member and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
In addition to the loaded gun, police officers also recovered 40 grams of cannabis, 1.2 grams of mushrooms, 12 grams of cocaine, 19 grams of heroin and one pill of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, from his vehicle, the police report said.
State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement that actions such as those allegedly commited by Richardson will not be tolerated in DuPage County.
“As a convicted felon, Mr. Richardson is prohibited from legally owning a firearm,” Berlin said. “What I find particularly troubling in this case is the allegation that Mr. Richardson was in possession of a loaded firearm at a family-friendly recreation facility.”
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