Man Brings Loaded Gun To Eviction Hearing

Chicago - As a result of a foreclosure, a South Side homeowner that was about to be evicted showed up with a loaded handgun in his briefcase at his court hearing Monday.

Thomas Pridgeon, 48, of the 7300 block of South Laflin Street was charged with unlawful use of a weapon after he was arrested at the security post at the Daley Center, according to a release from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's office.

Pridgeon has faced the prospect of losing his home since 2009, when BNY Mellon filed a foreclosure action in Cook County Circuit Court. Monday’s hearing was to approve transfer of the property to a private lender in North Carolina, which had bid on it at a tax sale, the release said.

With bank attorneys set to petition for transfer of ownership, Pridgeon would have 30 days to get out of the home and relinquish control.

As he came into the Daley Center for the hearing, he placed his briefcase on a screening machine as he passed through a metal detector. A deputy noticed the outline of a weapon in the briefcase as it went through, according to the release.

The .45-caliber handgun was loaded with one bullet in the chamber and seven more in the clip. When asked about the weapon, Pridgeon claimed he forgot it was in there. He was arrested and the sheriff’s Criminal Intelligence Unit is investigating.

Pridgeon is expected to appear for a bond hearing Tuesday, the release said.