People v. James

Defendant, Judd Lewis James, was found guilty of one count of unlawful use of a weapon (720 ILCS 5/24 — 1(a)(4) (West 1998)) following a bench trial in the circuit court of Kendall County. This charge was based on defendant’s transport of a pistol in the passenger compartment of his car. Defendant now appeals, raising three allegations of error. Defendant first contends that the State failed to make the required showing that the handgun was “immediately accessible” to him. See 720 ILCS 5/24 — 2(b)(4) (West 1998). Next, defendant argues that the gun and several statements he made during his…