(posted by OMDQ)

It's not often that I feel the urge to post anything announcer-related on the weekends (aside from the occasional offering to the YouTube gods), but given AA's recent absence and the relevance of this story to this site, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Let's set the scene: Bill Maas, former NFL player-turned-Fox reporter, is rolling through the streets of Peoria, Illinois, on Friday, when Illinois State Police pull him over for a "roadside safety check" (apparently, police identify areas that are prone to drunk and other unsafe drivers and periodically stop people to make sure they're behaving themselves. Sometimes, they catch a lot of people).

No big deal, right? Right - that's exactly why I'm writing about it, because they pulled him over, found nothing wrong, and sent him on his way. Actually, "During the stop, police indicated Maas seemed nervous, and he agreed to a search of his vehicle."

Uh oh, spaghetti-o.

"Police found a .22-caliber revolver, 5 grams of suspected marijuana, 6 grams of suspected cocaine and 28 pills of Ecstasy. Maas and Murphy were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Maas was also booked on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon."

That, friends, is not stuff you want the police to find. Maas was hit with three charges: possession of a controlled substance, possession of marifuana, and unlawful use of a weapon. His passenger, 27-year-old Sarah Murphy, was also charged with the first two crimes.

As always, I'm not a lawyer (and appreciate the advice of those who are) but this seems to be bad news for Maas (like getting arrested is ever a good thing). The marijuana charge should be a misdemeanor, but the two controlled substances and the presence of the gun complicate things. Apparently,

"Illinois has strict gun control laws. If you do not have a FOID (Firearm Owners Identification) card, you cannot carry a weapon in your car. If you have a FOID card, you can transport a gun anywhere in your vehicle as long as the gun is enclosed in a case or other container and it is unloaded. However, carrying an uncased gun under the car seat or in the glove compartment is unlawful use of a weapon (UUW). In certain circumstances, UUW is a class 4 felony, punishable by one to three years in prison."

Maas will appear before a judge on Sunday for a bond hearing.