Bears lineman sacked
Tank Johnson charged after six weapons seized from Gurnee home
Bears lineman sacked
Tank Johnson charged after six weapons seized from Gurnee home
Marijuana found during SWAT raid
GURNEE -- Chicago Bears' defensive tackle Tank Johnson's home was raided late Thursday morning by a SWAT team armed with a search warrant.
Johnson was charged with six misdemeanor counts of possessing weapons without a state Firearm Owner's Identification card, and 26-year-old Willie Posey, a resident in the player's house, was charged with felony possession of marijuana.
The weapons taken from the house were three rifles -- a military-style AR-15, a .308 Winchester and a 5.65 mm -- and three handguns -- a .44 Magnum, a .50 caliber and a .45 caliber.
"There was a lot of ammunition in the house. Some of the weapons I know were loaded," said Gurnee Police Chief Robert Jones.
The misdemeanor counts carry a maximum penalty of just under one year in jail with an option of up to two years of probation.
"(The guns) were one of the things listed on the search warrant," said Jones. "We also did not know who would be in the house at the time of the warrant, so the officers took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of others."
The department, along with a SWAT team from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System, decided to conduct the raid Thursday. The investigation began Nov. 4.
Jones would not indicate what tipped authorities off about Johnson's activity.
Jones said the police department chose to launch the raid while Johnson was at practice at Halas Hall in Conway Park, Lake Forest.
"We executed the search warrant as time fell into place, and it just happened that he was at practice," Jones said.
Johnson was sentenced to 18 months probation for assault in February. Jones would not comment on how that may affect the current case.
Gurnee police confiscated a half ounce of marijuana that allegedly belonged to Posey.
Tom Dillon, the Bears' director of security and safety services, took the third-year defensive lineman from Halas Hall to the Gurnee police station at 3:15 p.m.
Johnson, along with his Waukegan attorney, Thomas Briscoe, turned himself in on the charges and was freed after posting $100 for his $1,000 bond.
"We were in contact with the state's attorney's office all afternoon, and I surrendered him as soon as we got the word from them," Briscoe said.
Johnson's attorney said the charges will be fought in court.
"He thinks that once all the information comes out, he will be vindicated," Briscoe said. "He says the facts are totally different from what's being portrayed."
The search warrant was executed shortly before 11 Thursday morning with four occupants -- including two toddlers -- inside the house in the 400 block of North Delany Road.
Neighbors said Posey was taken out of the house in handcuffs following the raid, while police removed the toddlers.
"No one was harmed during the execution of the warrant. There was no danger to anyone in the area," said Gurnee Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick.
The neighbors who spoke to The News-Sun refused to disclose their names.
A woman who lives in an adjacent house described Johnson as a "normal neighbor" who would be seen walking his dogs.
Another neighbor, a man, said Johnson had trouble with his dogs at times, but would seek help from neighbors.
Other neighbors complained that Johnson mishandled his firearms at times, including an incident involving a person who fired a gun in Johnson's back yard.
Johnson had six pit bulls locked in cages in his back yard, and neighbors said police were called several times on animal cruelty issues.
"We have had calls in reference to animal issues at Johnson's home in the past," Jones said, but he would not say whether charges or citations were filed relative to those complaints.
Johnson's neighbors also said several of his teammates frequented the house while he was out of town.
Bears' coach Lovie Smith expressed disappointment.
"Of course we're disappointed that something like this is coming up. We're constantly talking about our players, about doing the right thing, and our players do the right thing the majority of the time," Smith said.
"But sometimes things like this come up," Smith said. "But again, I'm going to wait to see exactly what the charges are before I can talk any more on it."
Gene Chamberlain, Art Peterson, Dan Moran and Jim Newton contributed to this report.
