What began as a traffic stop for a vehicle with excessive window tint ended with two men each facing a felony gun possession charge.
Dazarius Williams, 21, of Racine, and Kenneth Byrd, 20, of Kenosha, were each charged September 27 in Racine County Circuit Court with a single felony count of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Williams, who remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond, also is charged with misdemeanor counts of carrying a concealed weapon as a repeat-offender, possession of a controlled substance and possession THC as a repeat offender. He faces almost 13 years in prison or $41,000 in fines. Williams will be back in court Oct. 6 for his preliminary hearing.
In addition to the same felony charge, Byrd also is charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon as a repeat offender. He faces up to 11 years in prison or $35,000 in fines. Byrd remains in custody on a $1,000 cash bond and will be back in court Oct. 6 for his preliminary hearing.
According to the criminal complaint, officers from the Racine Police Department on Monday, September 26, initiated a traffic stop in the 2100 block of Racine Street and observed the backseat passengers “moving around excessively” and removed them from the vehicle. One of the passengers, who was not charged, attempted to block police from reaching both defendants, and as police took Byrd out, a concealed firearm fell to the ground.
Police locate, in plain view a firearm on the seat next to Williams, who had a second gun concealed under his jacket, the complaint continues. Williams also had a bag of pills that later tested positive for 10.7 grams of MDMA in his pocket. A black backpack, later determined to belong to Williams, containing 136.7 grams of THC also was taken from the vehicle.
All three firearms were loaded, and each one had a “live” round in the chamber, the complaint states. Two of the firearms were “ghost guns,” meaning they lacked a serial number.
Court records show that Byrd was convicted of felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety in Kenosha County in 2019, while Williams has a felony conviction for armed robbery in Kenosha County in 2016.
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