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5 men sought on drug charges

Unit asks for public's help

BY JENNIFER A. BOWEN - News-Democrat

The St. Clair County Drug Tactical Unit hopes the public can help locate five men who have been charged with felony drug-related offenses.

The unit has spent the past several months investigating the cases in Cahokia, Fairview Heights and Belleville, and St. Clair County prosecutors have issued charges against these people:

• Christopher J. Hook, 24, of 416 Garden St. in Cahokia, has been charged with three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Hook's bail is set at $30,000.

• Dorian J. Brown, 35, of 617 S. Fifth St. in Brooklyn, has been charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Brown's bail is set at $15,000.

• Jamarin E. Ballard, 24, of 1706 Parklane Drive in Cahokia, has been charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled substance. His bail is set at $30,000.

None of the men are in custody.

Two men were charged and felony warrants issued last week. Deputies have been unable to locate and arrest the men because they no longer live at their last known addresses. Their whereabouts are unknown, and police are asking for anyone who has seen either of the men to call the Drug Tactical Unit. They are:

• Jonathan G. Tanner, 25, unknown address, is charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Tanner's bail is set at $15,000.

• Michael E. Olsson, 54, unknown address, is charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Olsson's bail is set at $15,000.

"The St. Clair County state's attorney's office and local law enforcement agencies are working hard to combat drug related crimes," said Sgt. William Kenny, the drug unit's supervisor. "But, as always, we need the community's assistance in reporting drug activity and locating wanted drug offenders."

Anyone with any information about any of the men can contact Kenny at 277-3505, ext. 5707. Callers may remain anonymous.

Woman in jail for carrying weapon to court

News-Democrat

A St. Louis woman is in custody after bailiffs at the St. Clair County Building found a gun in her purse, police said.

Genesis D. Mitchell, 34, of 9853 Rivermont Drive, St. Louis, was headed to a child-support courtroom on the third floor of the courthouse when she was asked to empty her pockets and hand her purse over to a bailiff before walking through a metal detector.

Genesis D. Mitchell

Mitchell set off the detector when she walked through it and as St. Clair County Bailiff Dwayne Sargent opened Mitchell's purse to search it, Mitchell told him she had a license to carry a concealed weapon in Missouri and had a loaded gun in her purse, according to the police report.

Sargent found a cocked and loaded Beretta .25 caliber automatic handgun in Mitchell's purse. Mitchell was told that although she could carry a concealed weapon in Missouri, she was not permitted to carry the same concealed weapon in Illinois and was placed under arrest.

"Although this person had a concealed carry permit in Missouri it gives no authority to carry a firearm in Illinois. But even in Missouri they are not allowed to carry loaded semi-automatic pistols into a courthouse," said St. Clair County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Johnson, chief investigator with the Sheriff's Department. "We do not have any information that anything violent was planned but in a courthouse setting we cannot take a chance. Thanks to the hard work the bailiffs do every day, this semi-automatic pistol was prevented from going into a child-support court room."

Mitchell was charged with the unlawful use of a weapon and remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

FOUR SUBJECTS ARRESTED DURING SHOOTING CALL

On 01-14-09 at about 1:00 PM an emergency call came into Cencom in reference to a disturbance in front of 15 Violet Drive in unincorporated Cahokia (Parkfield Terrace). While Deputies and Investigators were responding the caller called back and said they now heard gunshots being fired. Deputies arrived within 6 minutes and Deputy Andrew Leach saw a black male subject run from behind the residence. Dep. Leach pursued the subject as he ran into the back door of the residence. The subject tried to hide under a bed in a back bedroom. Dep. Leach arrested him for obstructing a peace officer. The subject:

Had two felony warrants for his arrest for probation violation and unlawful use of weapon. He was also charged with obstructing a peace officer. He is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on a $21,000.00 bond.

While Dep. Leach was in the residence, another black male subject ran from near the residence and through an alleyway. Deputies who were responding to the call saw him and gave chase. The subject was ordered to stop but refused. Dep. Brian Cregger chased the subject and caught him several blocks away on Amelia Drive. He was identified as:

He was arrested and charged with obstructing a peace officer and transported to the county jail. He posted bond later that night.

During the arrest of Garner a subject was at a nearby residence and began inciting other people in the area to obstruct the Deputies’ official performance in arresting the subject who ran. Inv. Scott Toth recognized the person and knew he was a gang member who had an active warrant. He continued to agitate a crowd of people and Inv. Toth attempted to arrest him but he ran into a residence on Amelia. Inv. Toth and Deputies pursued him into the residence and arrested him in the front room. The subject:

Was arrested for obstructing a peace officer and a misdemeanor traffic warrant. He is currently in the St. Clair County Jail on $2,500.00 bond.

During the original investigation near 15 Violet, several spent shell casings were found on the ground and Touchette Regional Hospital called and said a subject had been admitted into the ER with a gunshot wound. Investigators responded to the ER and determined the 19 year old subject had been shot through the top of his foot and the bullet exited out the bottom of his foot. The subject was deceptive in his answers as to what had occurred. He refused to cooperate and did not want Investigators to pursue the investigation. He was treated and released from the hospital but was taken to jail because he had an active bench warrant (misdemeanor) for his arrest. He remains in the jail infirmary today on a $4,000.00 bond.

“We may never know what truly happened during the incident but it shows the dangers Deputies face everyday even while just responding to a disturbance call,” said Capt Steve Johnson.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Captain Steve Johnson
Chief Investigator
Criminal Investigation Section

8 arrested on DUI charges during St. Clair County holiday patrols

Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009

News-Democrat

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department was out in force during the holiday weekend and arrested several people accused of drunken driving.

Deputies arrested eight people between Jan. 1 and Jan. 3 for alleged drunken driving. Of those, three were charged with felony DUI and five were cited for misdemeanor DUI.

The increased patrols during the holiday weekend were funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

William Hamilton. - Provided to BND

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William R. Hamilton, 50, of 625 W. Lincoln in Belleville, was arrested Jan. 2 near West Lincoln and Centreville Avenue in Belleville for suspicion of DUI. On Saturday Hamilton was charged with felony DUI and felony driving on a revoked driver's license. His bail was set at $10,000. Hamilton posted bond and was released Saturday.

Dean A. Muckensturm, 30, of 303 S. 16th St. in Belleville was arrested Jan. 2 near Carlyle Avenue and West Boulevard in Belleville under suspicioun of DUI. On Saturday Muckensturm was charged with felony DUI. He has four previous DUI convictions. Muckensturm posted bond on $20,000 bail and was released from jail Saturday night.

Joseph S. Domingos, 41, of 510 Monica in Belleville was arrested Jan. 3 on Monica Drive in unicorporated Belleville. He is charged with felony DUI and felony driving on a revoked drivers license. Domingos' bail was set at $50,000. He remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.

On Jan. 1 new laws went into effect for those convicted of driving under the influence alcohol. Those convicted are required to install a breath alcohol ignition interlock device in his or her vehicle in order to drive during the time of the license suspension. The individual will have to breathe into the device before the engine will start and will be required to submit additional breath samples at random intervals while the car is in motion. If the breath sample shows a blood-alcohol content of .025 percent or more, the engine will not start.

The new year also toughens up existing DUI laws. First-time offenders who test higher than .08 on a breath-alcohol test also will receive a six-month suspension. The suspension was three months last year. First-time offenders who refuse to submit to a breath-alcohol test will receive a one-year suspension instead of a six-month suspension. The suspensions go into effect 46 days after the arrest/test date.