People v. Ryan

Each of the four defendants in these consolidated cases — John Ryan, Don Rico Reese, Peter Lee, and Juan DeJesus — was charged in the circuit court of Randolph County with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a violation of section 24 — 1.1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 24-1.1). The trial judge dismissed the charges on two separate grounds, ruling that section 24 — 1.1 was unconstitutional and that the charging instruments failed to allege an offense. Because the statute was found to be unconstitutional, the cases are here on direct appeal. See 87…