A Venezuelan migrant accused of carrying a loaded handgun and an inert grenade aboard a CTA bus has received a one-year prison sentence but will not serve any additional time behind bars. Now, Jose Yepes is again wanted by authorities after failing to appear in court this month in a separate shoplifting case that has been pending since 2024, according to court records.
Chicago police arrested the 29-year-old in August after officers were flagged down by a CTA bus driver who reported a battery in progress aboard the bus in the 7900 block of South Jeffrey Boulevard, according to a CPD arrest report. When officers boarded, they saw Yepes trying to exit. According to police, he “became wide-eyed and attempted to rush out of the bus.” Officers noticed a bulge in his waistband and detained him.
Police said they recovered a loaded .380-caliber handgun from Yepes’ waistband and found a green grenade inside his crossbody bag. The CPD Bomb Squad determined the grenade was inert, meaning it was incapable of exploding. Even so, prosecutors initially charged Yepes with unlawful use of a bomb or grenade, an offense that applies to devices that resemble explosives, even if they cannot detonate. Authorities also discovered Yepes had an outstanding warrant after failing to appear in court on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge. That warrant had been active since March 2024.
Prosecutors ultimately did not pursue the grenade charge before a grand jury. Instead, Yepes pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in exchange for a one-year prison sentence imposed by Judge Natosha Toller. Court records show Yepes received credit for the time he had already spent in custody. Combined with Illinois’ 50% sentence reduction for good behavior, he did not serve any prison time…