1899 silver certificate

Police, fire and courts

Morton man charged after weekend drug bust

PEKIN - A Morton man was charged Monday in Tazewell County court with possessing marijuana and cocaine during a weekend drug bust in East Peoria.

Matthew G. Konoplisky, 22, 515 N. Nebraska, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and unlawful possession of marijuana. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Court records indicate that Konoplisky was arrested by East Peoria police after a canine search yielded 176 grams of marijuana, 31 grams of cocaine, a small amount of heroin and a small weighing scale.

The drugs were allegedly found inside a black leather jacket worn by Konoplisky before the arrest was made, records show.

He was released from Tazewell County jail Monday on $40,000 bond.

Police say man tried to sell stolen coins

PEORIA - A Peoria man was arrested Monday at a Central Peoria antique shop after he allegedly tried to sell rare coins and cash reported stolen over the weekend at a East Peoria coin show.

Douglas E. Grant, 31, 1021 W. Hanssler Place, was booked on a single charge of possessing stolen property.

Among the items Grant was attempting to sell were various silver coins, a silver certificate dated 1899, with the pictures of George and Martha Washington, in addition to a rare $500 bill, police said. Total worth was approximately $1,500.

Peoria police Officer Roger Martin was called to Wendy's Collectibles, 3211 N. Prospect Road, about 3:30 p.m. Monday where Grant apparently had taken the merchandise to try to sell, police said.

Shop owner Wendy Campbell told police that when Grant showed her the money he was trying to sell, she recalled that a $500 bill was stolen over the weekend from the Spring Coin Show held Sunday at the East Peoria Convention Center. So Campbell called police.

Grant said he purchased the items from a dealer at the coin show, but Martin was able to reach a couple coin dealers by phone, one of whom came to the collectible shop to identify whether the merchandise was stolen.

Grant was subsequently arrested and taken to Peoria County Jail where he later bonded out. The rare coins and cash were confiscated by police.

Macomb woman faces two felony charges

MACOMB - A Macomb woman was arrested Monday on two felony charges, one related to a search of her house the day she was in a car crash that killed her boyfriend.

Kathleen M. Ramirez, 20, appeared Tuesday in McDonough County Circuit Court. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of between 30 and 500 grams of marijuana and disobeying a traffic control device.

Ramirez was in the county jail Tuesday on $10,000 bond.

Authorities say an Illinois State Police trooper stopped Ramirez on Monday morning for running a stop sign or stoplight and smelled burned marijuana coming from the car. Ramirez gave police consent to search her home in the 300 block of West Carroll Street. That search turned up less than 15 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.

Police also searched Ramirez's home Feb. 19, the day she and three others were in a one-car crash on County Road 850 East. Ramirez's boyfriend, William Powers, 20, of Macomb, was killed.

Police served several search warrants shortly after the crash. Police said 77 grams of marijuana were found in Ramirez's home.

The driver of the car, Benjamin Sherwood, 20, of Macomb, was arrested last week. He has been charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He remains in the McDonough County Jail on $50,000 bond.