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Police: Carbondale Woman Was Driving Around Will County With Stolen AR-15, Second Gun Hidden In Child Safety Seat

JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) -- Police in Will County arrested a woman this weekend who they say was driving around with an AR-15 in the trunk and another gun hidden in a safety seat where a 3-year-old was sitting.

Will County Sheriff's police were patrolling in the area of Interstate 57 and Manhattan-Monee Road in Peotone Township Sunday morning, when they saw a speeding vehicle with a defective windshield go by, police said.

Deputies pulled over the vehicle and noticed that it smelled of marijuana, police said. They also noticed a 3-year-old child was in a safety seat in the back, police said.

Police said they spoke with the adult passenger and the driver – Nicole Horton, 24, of Carbondale.

Nicole Horton
Nicole Horton, 24, was arrested in Peotone Township after police say they found a stolen AR-15 in her trunk and a handgun hidden in a 3-year-old's car seat. (Credit: Will County Sheriff's Office)

Officers also searched the car, and found an AR-15 in the trunk and a 9mm handgun in the front drawer of the booster child safety seat where the 3-year-old had been sitting, police said.

Nicole Horton Arrest
Nicole Horton, 24, was arrested in Peotone Township after police say they found a stolen AR-15 in her trunk and a handgun hidden in her car seat. (Credit: Will County Sheriff's Office)
Nicole Horton Arrest
Nicole Horton, 24, was arrested in Peotone Township after police say they found a stolen AR-15 in her trunk and a handgun hidden in a 3-year-old's car seat. (Credit: Will County Sheriff's Office)

Police learned that the AR-15 was stolen a few months ago from a police vehicle in southern Illinois.

Two AR-15 magazines with ammunition inside, as well as 9mm ammunition, were also found in the vehicle, police said.

Horton was arrested on weapons charges, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. She did not have a Firearm Owners Identification card, police said.

The passenger was released pending further investigation, while the 3-year-old was placed in protective custody with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, police said.

In an unrelated incident 10 hours earlier on Saturday, Sheriff's deputies arrested Marshall Donald Quincy Gatson, 27, of Joliet around 11:35 p.m. A deputy was patrolling the areas of Weber and Renwick roads in Joliet Township and found Gatson swerving erratically from lane to lane, police said.

Marshall Donald Quincy Gatson
Marshall Donald Quincy Gatson was arrested on gun charges in Joliet Township. (Credit: Will County Sheriff's Office)

Deputies pulled Gatson over and that the vehicle smelled like marijuana – which Gatson had a jar full of it in plain sight, police said.

Police searched the car and found a loaded .45 Magnum revolver under the driver's seat, police said.

Gatson was hit with weapons charges and an assortment of traffic citations.

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