09/04/2026
Two men are facing felony gun charges after two loaded fi****ms were found during a traffic stop in Chicago Heights.
At approximately 9:50 p.m. on Aug. 28, Sheriffâs Police Organized Crime Division investigators stopped a Dodge Charger near the intersection of West 26th and Aberdeen streets for no front registration. Investigators learned that there was suspected cannabis in the vehicle and asked the driver 24-year-old Joel Saldana and his passenger 21-year-old Jesus Ramirez to step out of the vehicle for a drug investigation.  While searching the vehicle, investigators recovered two loaded fi****ms, one of which had a laser/flashlight attached to it. Both men were taken into custody.  After being issued their Miranda Warning, each man claimed ownership of a gun, and neither man had a FOID or a concealed carry license. Ramirez was also on probation for felony gun possession conviction at the time of his arrest. On Aug. 29, the Cook County Stateâs Attorneyâs Office approved aggravated unlawful possession of weapon charge against each of them. Saldana was also charged with unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver. Later that day, both men appeared for their initial court hearing at the Markham Courthouse, where Saldana, of Park Forest, were ordered released from custody and Ramirez, of Lynwood, was ordered to Cook County Jail custody.
The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
