Police took two women into custody on Jan. 22 after observing what they believed to be a drug transaction being carried out on a Hometown street. A 30-year-old Chicago resident has been charged with drug possession and delivery in connection with the incident, and a 37-year-old Hometown woman is facing a count of drug possession. Both women are scheduled to appear in a Bridgeview court on Feb. 28.
Officers with the Hometown Police Department say that they became suspicious when they noticed a man walking on South Kenton Avenue in the vicinity of West 87th Street with another man who they knew had been recently paroled. The man is said to have consented to a search that allegedly led to the discovery of a gram of heroin. Officers say that the man then admitted that he was at the scene to meet the Chicago woman in order to purchase more of the drug.
Reports indicate that the Chicago woman also consented to a search, which was performed at a nearby police station due to the weather, and police say that they found more heroin during this search. According to court records, the woman was free on bail at the time of the incident in connection with a Jan. 6 drug transaction in Hometown. A Cook County judge set her bond at $25,000 and ordered her to submit to random drug tests. The Hometown woman’s bond was set at $10,000.
People sometimes feel that they have no choice but to agree when police ask permission to conduct a search, but experienced criminal defense attorneys may advise a firmer stance in such situations. The Fourth Amendment requires police officers to have probable cause before conducting searches, and the lack thereof could provide the grounds to have drug charges dismissed even if illegal narcotics are discovered.
Source: The Evergreen Park Patch, “Women Charged In Hometown Heroin Deal”, Lorraine Swanson, Jan. 27, 2018