Antioch Man Arrested For Having Small Arsenal

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 5, 2009 7:00PM

An Antioch man - 24-year-old John Thomas - was arrested Wednesday after police raided his home he shares with his father. Police were then looking for drugs but they also found what amounted to a small army's arsenal: "two dozen guns, TNT, a detonator cord, blasting caps and a military-issue AT-4 anti-tank launcher and rocket," according to a Sun-Times report. Cocaine and marijuana were also found. So why was Thomas released to begin with? The S-T explains:

Thomas originally was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest. His father, Burl Thomas, 56, was hit with more serious felony charges, including armed violence, unlawful use of a weapon and felony drug charges.

John Thomas wasn't initially charged with felony offenses because none of the illegal items were found in his room at the home, authorities said. While police and prosecutors were reviewing the evidence to determine whether the charges could be upgraded, John Thomas posted $100 bond on his misdemeanor charge and was released from custody about 4:30 a.m. Friday. Lake County prosecutors realized he had been released when he didn't appear for a scheduled bond hearing later Friday morning.

The younger Thomas was arrested yesterday in Wisconsin and is now being held on $1 million bail and awaits an extradition hearing.