Plainfield Tattoo Shop Owner Faces Drug, Weapon Charges

A man was arrested after local police and the Will County Cooperative Police Assistance Team (CPAT) executed search warrants at his Mirage Avenue home and Route 30 tattoo shop early Tuesday.

Charles A. Barga, 34, is charged with manufacture/delivery of 30-500 grams of cannabis, manufacture/delivery of schedule IV substances and felony possession of a weapon/body armor, jail records said. Schedule IV substances are drugs with a low potential for abuse and dependence, according to the DEA, and include drugs like Xanax, Valium and Ambien.

Barga is listed as the owner of the Tattoo Warehouse, 16020 S. Lincoln Highway. The Plainfield tattoo shop has been open since 2007. The business' website lists Barga under the name "C Hustle." A Facebook page for the business, along with a page for "Charles Hustle" appeared to have been deleted Tuesday evening, despite having been accessible earlier in the day.

Plainfield Sgt. Mike Fisher confirmed Tuesday evening that Plainfield police assisted CPAT with executing a search warrant at the Route 30 business. A second search warrant was reportedly executed by Joliet police and CPAT at Barga's Mirage Avenue home.

The home, located in the 2600 block of Mirage, is about one-tenth of a mile from District 202's Meadow View Elementary School. While the house has a Plainfield mailing address, it is located in the City of Joliet.

The early morning arrest wasn't Barga's first brush with the law.

In 2003, he faced similar charges after he was allegedly the victim of a home invasion in Joliet. In that case, after a masked gunman clad in body armor broke into his Nicholson Street home, Barga reportedly subdued the suspect and held him captive until police arrived. But police allegedly found marijuana plants growing in Barga's basement, and he was charged with possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, possession of cannabis sativa plants, possession of stolen firearms and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Barga, then 23 years old, pleaded guilty to felony possession of a firearm; the remaining charges were dropped, according to Will County court records.

In 2010, he was hit with a disturbing the peace charge by Plainfield police. That charge was also dropped, according to court records.

A rep from Will County CPAT did not immediately return a call from Patch Tuesday night.