Bond was set at $10,000 for a Galesburg man on five felony charges including: possession of a stolen firearm, and four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
19-year-old Cortez S. Aguirre made a video appearance with Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh in Knox County Circuit Court on Monday where a public defender was appointed. As a stipulation of bail, he was told by Judge Cavanaugh that he was not allowed to possess a gun or any dangerous weapon.
Assistant State’s Attorney Sabrina Stroops told Cavanaugh that the state was recommending a bail of $50,000 , but with no criminal offense against Aguirre, he set the bond significantly lower.
According to police reports, officers were dispatched to the 600-block of South Pearl Street Sunday morning at around 10:07 for a report of a theft.
There the 53-year-old grandfather of Aguirre told officers that his grandson had stolen his handgun and discarded it.
Officers attempted to locate the gun with no luck. Eventually Aguirre turned himself into police and attempted to help locate the gun, again with no luck.
He allegedly told police he took the gun for protection when he went for a walk in the evening and said he would have used it in self-defense if needed.
He stated he felt bad he couldn’t find the firearm as he wanted it to get it back to his grandfather.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for August 6th.
