A cellphone-jamming device was reportedly used by a man riding a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train on March 8, Tuesday. The man was charged with a felony for using the illegal gadget after being accused in the past for blocking mobile phone signals. Chicago Police had been investigating complaints of dropped calls on the CTA's Red Line when a 911 caller reported the suspect and his equipment.

Like Us on Facebook

The suspect was 63-year-old public accountant Dennis Nicholl. He was wearing a baseball cap and business clothes while taking public transportation, according to CBS News.

Undercover police arrested Nicholl at a CTA platform and charged him with a felony.

Federal law prohibits people from selling, buying, and using the cellphone jammers that block handset reception, police radios, and 911 calls. They have a price range between $30 and $300.  

Nicholl has been caught using the phone-jamming device in the past. In addition, many handset owners had complained that they had experienced dropped calls.  

CTA rider Keegan Goudie reported that the device was easy to notice. In fact, Keegan and his brother Chas blogged about the gadget on thesixthrity.com after they saw it in the subway train.

Chas observed that it seemed Nicholl had malicious goals with the gadget. Meanwhile, Goudie was concerned about the jammers because of a major city's security and terrorist threats.      

Charles Lauer is Nicholl's attorney. He claimed that his client did not want to hurt anyone, but was annoyed by many people using their cell phones, and wanted a peaceful and quiet environment.

However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports that cellphone jamming is a serious offense. It can result in prison time and fines ranging from $16,000 to $112,000.  

A judge set bail for Nicholl at $10,000 and referred to him as the "cellphone police."

The Chicago Tribune reports that Nicholl pleaded guilty to a 2009 misdemeanor charge of jamming cellphones. Police took the device and he was sentenced to one year of probation, according to Ars Technica.     

In a similar case a Florida man received a $48,000 fine for using a phone-jamming device. He claimed he wanted to prevent motorists from using handsets while driving.

This teacher was suspended for phone-jamming: