People v. Halawa

On March 13, 1996, defendant, Nedal Halawa, age 17, pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to one year of probation. On June 13, 1996, the trial court denied defendant’s motion to vacate his guilty plea. Defendant now contends that the trial court erred by denying that motion. We reverse and remand.

In January 1996, defendant’s father called the Park Ridge police department and said that he wanted to surrender a shotgun. He was instructed to bring the gun to the station. Father and son then brought the gun to the station. Later that day, a police officer…