Mini AK-47, Drugs Found During Traffic Stop In Round Lake Park

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

July 19, 2022 5:25 PM

Jalen S. Duty, 23, of Waukegan.

Prosecutors say a college student was found with a loaded mini AK-47, a converted automatic handgun and drugs during a traffic stop in Round Lake Park.

Jalen S. Duty, 23, of the 3100 block of West Monroe in Waukegan, was charged with possession of a machine gun, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of cannabis over 100 grams.

Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis said during a bond hearing that officers with the Round Lake Park Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Sunday.

Duty was the only occupant in the car, which is registered in his name.

Officers smelled cannabis coming from the car and saw “roaches,” slang for the end of a smoke joint, in an ashtray.

Duty was asked to step out of the car after officers spotted what they believed to be a gun magazine under the front seat, Lewis said.

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Officers searched the car and found a gun magazine beneath the driver’s seat.

Lewis said they also located a loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine.

The Glock had an auto sear switch attached, making it fully automatic.

A further search yielded a bag of cannabis and a digital scale in the armrest. Additional cannabis was found in the rear of the car.

Lewis said that officers also located five hollow-point bullets in the car along with a loaded mini Draco 7.62 rifle, which is a miniature AK rifle.

Duty told police that he knew not to have the guns with him but he was “excited” about getting the Draco rifle from an auction in Wisconsin, Lewis said.

Assistant Public Defender Rayne Galbraith said her client works in a warehouse and is also a student at the College of Lake County.

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Duty was supposed to be at school this week, Galbraith said.

Lewis said that she was concerned because Duty was previously convicted in a case where he was charged in 2017 with firing a gun in Lake County.

“We’ve got automatic weapons in a vehicle and now I’m hearing he’s actually a school student, so I’m concerned about his access to his school. For all of these reasons, I am asking for a cash bond,” Lewis told Judge Theodore Potkonjak.

Potkonjak ordered Duty held on a $500,000 bond. Duty remains held in the Lake County Jail.

A status of attorney hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.