Staff Report

ROCKFORD – A man wanted on a probation warrant was arrested Wednesday on the city’s northwest side. 

Police say at approximately 12:30 a.m., Rockford SCOPE officers received information regarding the whereabouts of Julio Ortiz, a man authorities say is also a suspect in a residential burglary where firearms were stolen. As a result, officers monitored a residence  in the 3300 block of Sun Valley Terrace and observed the suspect.

“As officers approached Ortiz, he fled back into the building,” Rockford Police Public Information Officer Christie Castillo said in a release. “Officers located Ortiz a short time later hiding inside a storage area, and he was taken into custody without further incident.”

Castillo said a stolen loaded handgun was found near where the suspect was hiding.

Oritiz, 26, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, obstructing an officer and no FOID. He is currently on probation for aggravated domestic battery.