Sex Offender Found Wanted on Multiple Warrants, Immigration Charges After Traffic Stop

Police reported that an alert by the mobile license plate recognition system at about 5:18 p.m. on Nov. 8 informed officers of a car with suspended registration. Police found the vehicle and pulled it over after computer verification that the registration was suspended.

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The officer spoke with the driver, Rodrigo Garcia, 57, of the 1800 block of north Lawndale in Chicago. Further computer checks showed that Garcia had no driver's license, and if he did, it would have been revoked. Garcia was arrested and taken to the station.

A check of Garcia's driving history found that he had multiple convictions for driving with a revoked license. A fingerprint check also showed that Skokie police, Chicago police and Des Plaines police wanted him under three different names for failure to appear on charges of driving with a revoked license.

Even more, an officer found that Garcia was a deported felon in the country illegally and a registered sex offender, which required police to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who logged a detainer against him. A representative of Cook County's State's Attorney's Office approved felony charges against Garcia.

In all, Garcia was charged with aggravated driving with license revoked, operation of a vehicle with suspended registration and served three outstanding warrants. Garcia was held for a pending bond hearing that morning.

Police Blotter information is provided by the River Forest Police Department.  Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.