A Rock Falls man has been charged in Whiteside County with armed violence and multiple drug and weapons offenses.

Christopher Ristau, 42, is charged with armed violence, a Class X felony; possession of between 5 and 15 grams of meth, a Class 2 felony; possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony, and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, specifically hydrocodone, alprazolam and amphetamine, both Class 4 felonies.

He also is charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges, filed Tuesday, Dec. 30, stem from a Dec. 7 incident in which he is accused of possessing meth while carrying a loaded BB gun. Ristau is to appear at 9 a.m. Jan. 8 in Whiteside County Court.

Ristau also was arrested Dec. 7 on a failure-to-appear warrant in a 2023 case in which he faces charges of felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a revoked license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

He was released from jail on pretrial release conditions on Dec. 8. A pretrial conference in that case is set for March 25.