A La Salle man was ordered jailed Wednesday after a traffic stop in Ottawa yielded 8 grams of suspected cocaine and a loaded .45-caliber handgun.

Christopher Lopez, 49, would face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. His lesser charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (two to five years) carries no possibility of probation.

He was charged on Tuesday following a traffic stop in the 1500 block of Route 71 in Ottawa. There, according to court records, police searched him and the vehicle and recovered 6 grams of purported cocaine in the passenger compartment – he is alleged to have had another 2 grams on him – along with a pistol located beneath a seat.

At a detention hearing Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court, prosecutor Laura Hall asked a judge to deny Lopez any form of pre-trial release.

Hall said the overt circumstances made Lopez a risk to the public. She further argued that Lopez told police he’d “found” the gun somewhere in La Salle and that he had on him a pair of knives, a razor, and $2,000 in cash. Collectively, she said, the drugs and companion items indicated intent to distribute.

Lopez, she said, also had a felony conviction for obstructing justice and therefore had no business possessing a gun.

“He knows he should have turned the gun over to law enforcement, but he didn’t,” she argued in open court.

Public Defender Ryan Hamer countered that Lopez was a good candidate for pre-trial release, having a good job and a family to support. As for the drugs, Hamer said there was no packaging recovered, suggesting the drugs may have been for personal use.

La Salle County Circuit Judge Michelle A. Vescogni was unpersuaded and cited the in-court statements that the gun was uncased, loaded, and within reach of an occupant.

She ordered Lopez to return to remain in custody and gave him a May 21 court date.