Police: WIU students arrested with cache of weapons

[SemiAutoSam]

The biggest blunder they made was forwarding information over and above there legal name and ID.........Word to the wise :if you have a trunk full of firearms and somehow manage to run into a LEO SHUT YER DAM PIEHOLE TAKE THE TICKET AND GET THE @#$%^&* OUTTA THERE.


http://www.pjstar.com/archive/x952826467/Police-WIU-students-arrested-with-cache-of-weapons

MACOMB — Two men were stopped for speeding early Thursday in a truck filled with loaded guns, ammunition and military-style paraphernalia, and a comparable amount of weapons was found at one of their homes, authorities said.

Bryce A. Standley, 25, of Macomb and Nicholas R. Holik, 20, of Mount Prospect were charged Thursday in McDonough County court with three counts each of aggravated unlawful use of weapons and unlawful use of weapons.

Standley and Holik, both students at Western Illinois University, were released from jail Thursday afternoon on $25,000 bond each.

Both men have Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification cards.

A sheriff's deputy stopped their pickup truck northwest of Macomb near McDonough County roads East 750th and North 1700th at about 2:40 a.m. Thursday.

Prosecutors said the truck was stopped in the roadway near a home but made a U-turn and drove away as the deputy approached. The pickup was then stopped for speeding 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.

A later search of the vehicle turned up two rifles and two loaded pistols, most or all with paraphernalia including silencers, optical sites and laser pointers attached. One of the pistols, a .22-caliber, was under the driver's seat, while the other was under the passenger's seat.

Also in the vehicle, police found two military gas masks, two sets of military night vision goggles, 22 AR-15 loaded magazines and nearly 250 ammunition shells. Both men were also wearing bulletproof vests.

Prosecutors said the men told police they had fired the weapons at targets before they were stopped and that they were coyote hunting.

"There is absolutely no evidence of anything sinister here," said Holik's defense attorney, Craig Pierce of Bushnell, in arguing for a lower bond.

Circuit Judge John Clerkin reduced the bond to $25,000 from the $50,000 requested by Melidis.

Standley's defense attorney, Karl Johnson, asked Clerkin if he could offer testimony from Standley's parents and a family friend, retired Third District Appellate Judge Kent Slater, all of whom attended Thursday's court appearance.

Instead, Johnson ended up reciting what he believed the witnesses would testify to, including that Standley has no criminal record and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, a senior law enforcement major at WIU and he holds down a local job.

Prosecutors said police were granted permission to search Standley's home. There they found a weapon "cache" equal to or larger than the weaponry found in the truck.

Melidis said there is a "high probability" the charges could be amended based on the discovery of the additional weapons and the possibility one of the guns seized in the truck could be a machine gun.

Standley is scheduled to return to court Jan. 7. Holik's next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday

 

[terraformer]

What specifically is unlawful use of a firearm that applies if you don't brandish it, fire it, or otherwise do anything else with it other than possess it, despite having a license for them so that doesn't apply? I am lost.

PS: This really seems like two mall ninjas out for an afternoon's mental masturbation. None of that stuff in the picture is terribly threatening. Frankly I think you could look in between the cushions at Fred's place and find more stuff.

 

[z0mbi]

What specifically is unlawful use of a firearm that applies if you don't brandish it, fire it, or otherwise do anything else with it other than possess it, despite having a license for them so that doesn't apply? I am lost.

Could be they broke some transportation laws, what with some of the guns at least being loaded and insecurely stored. Not familiar with Illinois laws on that matter.

 

[MasterShinken]

ok, I can get that they'd get in trouble for having a loaded weapon that was not secured... not sure on how the laws are on it.. but 50k bail and a search warrant?
what does a bunch of weapons at the guys place have to do with anything? not to mention aggressive unlawful use, I would imagine just by the work aggressive, they'd have to do something with them other than have them sitting in the back...

 

[Bruce for NH State Rep]

Nothing too surprising there, as far as the authorities' reaction goes. Now, had this story taken place in America...

 

[Mikey]

Typical .gov action coming from a state like Illinois (or MA or CA...).

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Probably that dangerous "Laser pointer". Jack.

 

[Gonzo]

I hate Illinois Nazis.

 

[FunYun]

IIRC suppressors are illegal in Illinois.

Number one reason to hide your guns and accessories is to avoid the hairy eyeball.

 

[Raoul Duke]

PS: This really seems like two NES members out for an afternoon's frivolity. None of that stuff in the picture is terribly threatening. Frankly I think you could look in between the cushions at Fred's place and find more stuff.

Fixed it for you...

 

[kingson]

Good think some of us don't get stopped before or after a NES shoot. The cops would have a field day then

 

[pbearperry]

Does anyone in here besides myself question why these 2 guys are hauling all this stuff around with them?Maybe I am a little old fashioned,but wearing ballistic vests,having gas masks and a large amount of guns and ammo does not seem normal to me.If it does seem normal to everyone else in here I would say this country is in trouble.What ever happened to normalcy?

 

[Pilgrim]

Two people, 2 rifles and 2 pistols in the truck and:

Prosecutors said police were granted permission to search Standley's home. There they found a weapon "cache" equal to or larger than the weaponry found in the truck.

2 more rifles and 2 more pistols at home.

military-style paraphernalia

OMG !

 

[terraformer]

Fixed it for you...

Also in the vehicle, police found two military gas masks, two sets of military night vision goggles, 22 AR-15 loaded magazines and nearly 250 ammunition shells. Both men were also wearing bulletproof vests.

We have had these conversations before. Most NESers don't walk/drive around with, and many don't even own these products. That said, I don't think anyone should be considered as a suspicious person, much less charged with a crime for doing so. That is unless the crime in question is bad taste and the cop has all of the authority of the Village People.

Clearly in this case these two boobs were picked up because Opie thought he had himself a VT or a Columbine duo on his hands. For all our sakes, I hope he is wrong. Their possession of the silencers, if someone above is right and googling suggests he is, is going to get very ugly for these two, regardless of their original intents. Which again in the absence of any compelling evidence of intent, we have here two mall ninjas.

 

[IPSC_DRL]

I hate Illinois Nazis.

 

[Gonzo]

I was carrying more than this by myself several times on road trips between FL-NH when I was active duty and coming home on leave.

Rule #1: Don't do anything to cause you to be pulled over.

 

[terraformer]

Does anyone in here besides myself question why these 2 guys are hauling all this stuff around with them?Maybe I am a little old fashioned,but wearing ballistic vests,having gas masks and a large amount of guns and ammo does not seem normal to me.If it does seem normal to everyone else in here I would say this country is in trouble.What ever happened to normalcy?

Normal, no. But then again there are lots of things that are not normal to me but they don't rise to the level of crimes either (dwarf tossing, gay guys, bridge, bingo, starbucks, et al. So I can shake my head at it, but I also live and let live so long as they didn't have any mal-intent, this should be much ado about nothing.

Two people, 2 rifles and 2 pistols in the truck and:

2 more rifles and 2 more pistols at home.

OMG !

Yeah, the armaments here are less than impressive. It was the other stuff that probably left a bad taste in Opie's mouth and when you put it all together it looks bad, but just the rifles/handguns by themselves is no big deal. If that level of armament is enough to get you arrested, I should be shot on sight some weekends.

 

[Nickle]

Let's see, 2 rifles and 2 pistols (1 of them a .22).

Night vision stuff, vests and gas masks, so the cops search the home, finding a little more stuff, much of it "military type" stuff.

OK, one of the guys is a military Vet, did a tour in Afghanistan. That explains why he has the stuff.

Other than the legality of being under 21 and having a handgun, and maybe a suppressor or two (did they?), tell me exactly what crimes they committed?

Oh, those cops would clearly find me as far worse. Hell, the gitlfriend and I have more stuff than that in the vehicle when we go hunting (vest is at home, not quite that much ammo, and none of the handguns are .22's).

 

[RG617]

PS: This really seems like two mall ninjas out for an afternoon's mental masturbation.

Calling someone who's done a tour in Afghanistan a "Mall Ninja" makes me wonder if you didn't completely read the piece or you simply have a different definition of the phrase than I'm familiar with.

 

[terraformer]

Calling someone who's done a tour in Afghanistan a "Mall Ninja" makes me wonder if you didn't completely read the piece or you simply have a different definition of the phrase than I'm familiar with.

You are making as many more assumptions than I ever was. Just because someone was in the army and in the area of a war zone doesn't mean that person ever saw a stitch of combat. Most soldiers in the Army and to a smaller extent in the Marines never see a single bit of combat even with a war on. They are in support rolls because someone felt their skills were better suited in motor pool, communications, artillery, etc than in infantry. You clearly have not been paying attention to Rumsfeld's little small, fast and light "new army". Our modern army is becoming one big expanded special forces with massive technology and support infrastructure.

The military has a statistic they have used for some time now. It is "days in combat". I don't remember the numbers but in WWII it was very low, something like 40 days in combat for those that saw combat, which was a very large number. In vietnam it ballooned to something like a 100 days in combat but the number of people in proportion to the overall military who actually were in combat decreased. In the gulf 1 the thing is useless given the dynamics of that conflict. In gulf 2 and Afghanistan the number of days in combat has gone to over 200 per tour if my memory serves me but it is the same guys day in and day out fighting those fights. Everyone else is in a support role. Dangerous nonetheless, but I would bet that there are a whole host of mall ninjas in the military who aren't in the fight.

 

[GaryO]

Probably that dangerous "Laser pointer". Jack.

Maybe they were going to "point out" the coyotes .

 

[RG617]

You are making as many more assumptions than I ever was.

No, we're each making one assumption: Mine is that someone ought to take a second before making a slightly presumptuous judgment of someone who's served his country no matter what the capacity, and yours is that someone who's actually worn the uniform might be a mall ninja because of how and what he decided to carry with him as written about this particular incident. We could play statistics games all day, and believe me you'd have your hands full, but that isn't the point. As far as I'm concerned anyone who's served their country in a combat zone ought to be given at a little respect, even if it's some small benefit of the doubt on a minor subject like this, by those of us who haven't. Chances are he'll turn out to be some white power chooch or something equally disappointing, but until that happens I figure not making insulting comments isn't a bad place to start when it comes to that benefit of the doubt.

 

[Gonzo]

Maybe their just old Boy Scouts. "Be Prepared" and all that.

 

[Garys]

I've carried more to the local range than were in the "cache" the police found. Well, I don't have any silencers or optics more complex than a scope on my Marlin 22 caliber bolt action. I also don't wear my vest when I'm at the range. I'd guess that the failure to stop for police raised some suspicions, but I'd have to wonder what the PC for the warrant was.

Unless there is more to this story than is in the report (possible).

 

[Nickle]

..........Just because someone was in the army and in the area of a war zone doesn't mean that person ever saw a stitch of combat. Most soldiers in the Army and to a smaller extent in the Marines never see a single bit of combat even with a war on. ...........

A lot of depends is going to be needed to qualify those statements. I know Wheeled Vehicle Mechanics, Clerks, Cooks and others that have seen combat (and got CAB's for it) and also known Infantrymen that have done a tour and seen no combat.

Things have changed over the past few years.

They could be "Mall Ninjas", but on the other hand, they might not be.

I own a Flak Vest, somewhere around 30 rifles (many of them Battle Rifles), several handguns (including a 1911A1 and an M9 Beretta), a real Starlight scope, a whole LOT of military clothing and boots, climbing gear and a LOT of ammo. Pro-gun bumper stickers on the windows of my Jeep and pick-up, too.

Does that make me a "Mall Ninja"?

............ Mine is that someone ought to take a second before making a slightly presumptuous judgment of someone who's served his country no matter what the capacity, and yours is that someone who's actually worn the uniform might be a mall ninja .................... As far as I'm concerned anyone who's served their country in a combat zone ought to be given at a little respect, even if it's some small benefit of the doubt on a minor subject like this, by those of us who haven't.

Pretty good thoughts there. I'm also for extending the benefit of the doubt, until more is known.

I've carried more to the local range than were in the "cache" the police found. Well, I don't have any silencers or optics more complex than a scope on my Marlin 22 caliber bolt action. I also don't wear my vest when I'm at the range. I'd guess that the failure to stop for police raised some suspicions, but I'd have to wonder what the PC for the warrant was.

Unless there is more to this story than is in the report (possible).

Now, here's a good statment.

Other than the silencers and number of vests, these guys have less stuff than my girlfriend and I do.

I'm seeing this as one of 2 ways.

1. Overzealous cops, trying to either make something out of nothing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a CYA deal for a questionable stop and search.

2. There's more to these two guys than has been reported, and they truly deserved the stop.

I'm thinking we'll end up with it being a mix of the two.

And, the media? They swallowed that BS story, hook, line and sinker.

Because the base story, if stated AS-IS, leads me to believe #1 above, other than the possession of silencers (or anything else illegal under Illinois law).

A friend of mine that lives in that state calls it Illinois(ucks).

 

[WILDCATT]

?????????????

I personaly know people that had much more time in combat in WW2 and if one checks out unit histories you will gind some went over 100 days.
as to silencers there are companies that make look alikes that have no inards.as to gas masks I have two,I was given an alice pack with one in it and I bought 4 for $19.why 4 ,the price was right.If I had the money I would buy a night sight.why the deer come out in front of my house at night,I have 90 acres.
I flat out state the cops are CYA.

 

[Riverside]

Whether rightly or wrongly, I think the fact that these guys are students at WIU has a big effect in determining how far the police will investigate. We need no reminders that a few students have armed themselves and gone on violent and deadly rampages at schools they attend.
Best Regards.

 

[Altezza]

Rule #1: Don't do anything to cause you to be pulled over.

Easier said than done sometimes. Unknown burned out tail/license plate light, an equipment violation that was unknown in an unfamiliar state, etc. This happened to my sister the very first time she drove into Oregon to move there and was pulled over because her truck tires were wide and stuck out a little past the fenders. Well, that a**h*** still gave her a fix-it-ticket even though she had an out of state plate/license, a truck full of shit and explained her situation. Same goes for having tinting that's too dark on your windows. She was perfectly fine in her home state of Arizona with those tires.

Not pulled over, but what if Officer Friendly stops to see if you need assistance if you break down, are changing a tire, etc. "Shines" the car at night when approaching and sees something suspicious. Remember all they need is ONE little thing that makes them uneasy and they can search your car and claim "probable cause". Even having an out of state plate can make a person more likely to be pulled over for ANYTHING.

 

[fobes34]

another article, more info

Seems these guys didn't have silencers at all

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/print/?id=258136

Mt. Prospect student faces weapons charges
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 12/15/2008 12:07 AM

Two college students, including one from Mount Prospect, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face charges related to the cache of weapons found in their vehicle on a country road outside Macomb.

Nicholas R. Holik, 20, of Mount Prospect, and Bryce A. Standley, 25, of Macomb, both students at Western Illinois University, were arrested and each charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Both men were released from the McDonough County Jail after posting 10 percent of their $25,000 bonds, according to published reports.

The weapons discovery was made during a traffic stop at 2:41 a.m. Thursday in an area northwest of Macomb, McDonough County Sheriff Rick VanBrooker said. The deputies observed a "suspicious vehicle" and stopped it for a traffic violation.

Deputies searched both the vehicle, a Dodge pickup, and the men. They found both men to be wearing bulletproof vests, VanBrooker said.

They also discovered two loaded .223 caliber rifles with silencers, optical sites and laser pointers attached; one loaded .22-caliber pistol with silencer and laser attached; another loaded .22-caliber pistol with silencer and laser; two military gas masks; two military night vision goggles; one silencer; 22 AR-15 loaded magazines; 120 12-gauge shotgun shells; 30 20-gauge shotgun shells; 85 .40-caliber shells; and five .45-caliber shells, reports said.

Holik's attorney, Craig Pierce said Sunday that the two men were on Standley's grandfather's property coyote hunting and target shooting.

"They realize what they did was not very intelligent," Pierce said. "But they were out there coyote hunting."

As to why they had the military equipment, Pierce said: "They are just kind of into the military stuff. One's a veteran, and my client is a very interested military-type guy. But as far as being fanatics or crazies, there is no way."

He said neither has a prior criminal record.

In his motion to dismiss the charges, Pierce said what the police characterized as silencers were actually "recoil suppressors," which, he said, do not fit into that classification.

He added that it is doubtful there was probable cause to stop the vehicle, "other than being out early in the morning."

Pierce said a speeding ticket was issued "after the fact" but there was no radar and they were going under 50 miles an hour. Pierce said the two had just fixed a flat tire and were heading down a country road.

Bonnie Barker, WIU's assistant director of university relations, said the two students have been suspended and barred from campus, pending a student judicial hearing.

Both were students in good standing. Standley had served in the military in Afghanistan and was a board of trustees major, an independent major for adult students who can apply both life experience and academic credits toward their degree, Barker said.

Holik, a junior, was majoring in construction management. Both students, were members of the scuba diving club, Barker said.

Pierce said both men live in the Macomb area and trying to make arrangements to take their finals.

VanBrooker said Sunday that the sheriff's office is continuing its investigation.

"Any amount of weaponry and bulletproof vests found at that time of night is very concerning," he said.

 

[JonJ]

"recoil suppressors"

Muzzle brakes?