Rockford felon with armed robbery history arrested for gun and drug charges

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A man with a prior history of convictions, including armed robbery, was arrested on new criminal charges this past weekend.

Robert Taylor, 29, was a passenger in a car pulled over by police in the 5100 block of Auburn Street on Saturday night, around 7:50 p.m.

Officers with the department’s Specialized Community Oriented Policing Enforcement (SCOPE) team found cannabis and a loaded handgun inside the vehicle, police said.

Taylor has a felony conviction for armed robbery in 2015, making possession of a firearm illegal.

He was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owner’s Identification, and possession of cannabis.