People v. Blankenship

Defendant, Lee Blankenship, was charged by indictment with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, in violation of section 24— 1.6(a)(3)(C) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/24 — 1.6(a)(3)(C) (West 2002)). Defendant’s pretrial motions to quash the arrest, suppress evidence, and exclude evidence of prior convictions were denied. Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted. Defendant appeals the denial of his pretrial motions, and we affirm.

FACTS

On March 27, 2002, Officer Terry Higgins of the Joliet police department was stopped at a red light behind a green Ford Escort. Though he had…