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A Marseilles man faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of possessing a .45-caliber pistol that police said was stolen from a vehicle.
Joseph M. Czerekaviczius, 27, was ordered held Wednesday in La Salle County Jail on $50,000 bond following a hearing in La Salle County Circuit Court. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. approved his request for the services of the public defender and ordered him to return to court Aug. 4.
During an open-court presentation, prosecutor Matt Kidder said the victim reported July 21 to Marseilles police a pistol was stolen from his truck. Police later were alerted to a Marseilles resident who said he let Czerekaviczius stay at his place and saw Czerekaviczius with a .45-caliber pistol.
A search warrant of the residence, located in the 800 block of Clark Street in Marseilles, yielded the gun, prosecutors said. The search warrant was executed by the Marseilles Police Department, Ottawa Police Department and La Salle County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, in consultation with the La Salle County State’s Attorney Office.