Nicholas Claxton, 23, of the 1700-block of W. 17th St., was charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of cyber stalking, and a warrant for a probation violation.
Claxton was terminated from his job at an Oak Park restaurant on July 23rd. On July 28th, Claxton sent a text message to a co-worker that showed Claxton wearing night vision goggles and ballistic armor and holding a shotgun. He also sent photos showing a stash of ammunition and body armor panels for the ballistic vest.
The coworker immediately reported this to the Oak Park Police Department. Claxton's arrest came after a joint effort between Chicago and Oak Park police.
Oak Park police conducted their own investigation and discovered that Claxton had been arrested in the 800-block of W. Cullerton. Both this address and Claxton's residence fell within the Monroe, or 12th, District of Chicago. Oak Park police informed Chicago police as they judged this as a potentially escalating incident and had concerns for community safety.
Claxton was taken into custody on a probation violation warrant on August 4th by Monroe District officers. Officers were given consent to search when they went to Claxton's home, discovering a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off stock and a sling to make it concealable which was loaded with buckshot. They also discovered a military-grade ballistic vest with steel plates, one set of night vision goggles, one 12-gauge signal gun, and a gun cleaning kit.
Claxton is expected to appear in bond court at 26th and California on August 6th.
