State Sen. William R. Haine, D-Alton, said Monday that he would propose legislation this week to double prison sentences and fines for methamphetamine manufacturers whose operations endanger children. Flanked by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz at the Madison County Sheriff's Department, Haine said such meth producers are guilty not only of making drugs but also of ignoring the damage to a child's health caused by the chemicals involved in the process. "It's greed run amok, and greed that preempts any concern for children," said Haine, who served as the county's state's attorney until November. [continues 280 words]
Criminals who ply their trades in the Alton neighborhoods of Hunterstown, Mexico and Middleton got a message Tuesday from authorities: This is not a place where you want to do business. On Tuesday, federal and state prosecutors and local law enforcement officials announced 39 indictments issued last week by a Madison County grand jury, most of them for drug dealing and illegal weapons possession. Last month, a federal grand jury issued two indictments for similar offenses in the same neighborhoods, which were designated a Weed and Seed site last year by the U.S. Justice Department. The federal program encourages residents and officials to work together to revitalize crumbling neighborhoods. [continues 373 words]
Bunker Hill Police Chief Jesse Cunningham nurtured his crop for a month. He watered the tiny plants every 36 hours. He kept the light on in his office day and night. He even set the plants near a window so that curious passers-by could take a look. On Thursday, Cunningham delivered his harvest to the Illinois State Police crime laboratory. He expects the results to confirm what he already suspects: He has been growing marijuana. "The (Macoupin County) state's attorney said to me, 'I've never heard of a police chief growing his own evidence,' " Cunningham said Thursday with a chuckle. [continues 312 words]
The Madison County court system will soon have a new way to treat young people with serious drug problems: a juvenile drug court modeled after the county's adult drug-treatment program. Madison County's juvenile drug court will be the first of its kind in the Metro East area. Several other Illinois counties already have such programs, including Peoria and Cook counties. Madison County hopes to start its program by late this month or early next month, said Darrell McGibany, the director of the county's probation department. The program will serve up to 30 youths between the ages of 12 and 17. [continues 210 words]
* Police in Pontoon Beach stopped the man on a traffic violation Jan. 15. He left before police searched his RV and found about 700 pounds of marijuana. A Chicago man who rode off in a taxi before Pontoon Beach police could find nearly 700 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle was arrested Thursday night in Oklahoma City, authorities said Friday. This time, the man had $183,000 on him. John Wyatt, 40, was arrested by Oklahoma City police about 9:30 p.m. Thursday after an officer stopped the vehicle he was in for speeding. Wyatt was being held in Oklahoma City on Friday, pending extradition to Illinois. [continues 163 words]
Ronald Schweppe says in a suit that the Collinsville Police Department took $13,290 from him without cause in a routine traffic stop last month. The department says it has the money, but it won't talk about why Schweppe can't have it back. Madison County Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn granted Schweppe, of Collinsville, a temporary restraining order Friday, instructing the department that Schweppe's money cannot be "transferred or encumbered in any way" before a hearing set for Tuesday. [continues 147 words]
