NIU student charged after police find loaded pistol, drugs in his backpack while on campus

DeKALB - A Northern Illinois University student is facing charges after police serving an arrest warrant on campus outside Stevenson Hall found him with a loaded gun and drugs in his backpack.

Malcolm A. Moffett-Brown, 18, of the 8100 block of South Oglesby Avenue in Chicago, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanor charges.

If convicted of the most serious crime, unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds, Moffett-Brown could face up to 5 years in jail and fines up to $25,000.

NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips confirmed in a Thursday email to the Daily Chronicle that Moffett-Brown is a current NIU student.

"However, as a result of his arrest, he has since been banned from all NIU campuses as a precautionary measure for campus safety," Phillips wrote.

In a bond hearing this week, DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Doherty set Moffett-Brown's bond at $10,000, requiring $1,000 to post in order to be released from jail.

According to DeKalb County court records, NIU police on Saturday were attempting to make contact with Moffett-Brown around 9:23 a.m. because he had an active warrant out for his arrest.

Phillips wrote the arrest warrant was out of DeKalb County for fleeing and eluding NIU officers during an attempted traffic stop. He wrote officers later found Moffett-Brown again outside of Stevenson Hall and he was safely taken into custody without incident for the fleeing and eluding arrest warrant.

Court records show the 18-year-old was just exiting Stevenson North parking lot 30. During a search, police found a loaded Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol in his backpack and about 19 grams of marijuana.

The legal limit in Illinois is 30 grams if packaged properly, though police reports don't detail how the marijuana was packaged inside Moffett-Brown's backpack.

NIU police say Moffett-Brown told police the gun was his but did not have his firearm owners identification, or FOID, card on his person, records show. He then consented to a search of his Mercedes-Benz, where police found a small white tablet later identified as Oxycodone, an opioid. Records show Moffett-Brown told police the drug was his.

Moffett-Brown is expected to appear in court for his arraignment hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 30.

• Daily Chronicle news reporter Katie Finlon contributed to this report.