Man arrested in Normal for weapons, drug counts, court records say

Posted on September 3, 2024

NORMAL – A man wanted in Tazewell County picked up new charges this weekend in Normal, according to court records.

Nicholas Moreland, 32, was charged in McLean County Circuit Court with unlawful use of weapons, aggravated unlawful use of weapons and possession of methamphetamine stemming from his arrest early Sunday morning.

He will remain in the county jail pending a hearing on Sept. 1, according to court records.

According to a verified statement of arrest, Normal police officers stopped him around 1 a.m. Sunday. He was riding a bike in the 600 block of North Main Street. Moreland allegedly admitted he had meth on his person in a small plastic bag, according to the statement.

He also told officers he had stashed a loaded handgun in a bush next to a nearby gas station. He told the officers the gun belonged to someone else who had given it to him. He stashed it outside the store before he went inside, according to court records.

Moreland, the documents state, has a prior conviction for meth delivery in 2021. As such, the charges that were filed in McLean County carry a possible 14-year prison term.

The Tazewell County warrant was for a traffic case where he allegedly was driving on a revoked license, according to Tazewell County court records and to the McLean County documents.

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