SALINE CO.— An Eldorado man landed behind bars after he let fly an expletive within earshot of the city’s chief of police.
Reports indicate that on June 24 at approximately 10:38 p.m., Eldorado Chief of Police Shannon Deuel was on routine patrol northbound on Trolley Road at Locust Street in Eldorado when he passed two male subjects walking eastbound on Locust Street just west of Trolley Road.
As Deuel drove past, one of the males yelled “D!CKHEAD!”
Chief Deuel hasn’t exactly been the most popular of lawmen over the past several years and certainly has his critics.
It is unknown if Deuel is used to being referred to by that name so much he responds out of instinct, if the name instantly hurt his pride or if he honestly wondered what was going on.
Whatever the case, Deuel stopped his police cruiser, put the vehicle in reverse and backed up alongside local troublemakers Carl E. Payne and Austin Rector.
When asked what they yelled Payne, 24, of the 2200 block of Grand Ave., Eldorado, said he yelled “d!ckhead” at Tyler Gaines and when asked why, he said because he and Mr. Gaines weren’t getting along at that moment.
That’s about the time chief Deuel noticed what he described as “a strong odor of cannabis” (spelled ‘Nannabis’ in his report) emanating from Payne’s body.
When officer Adam Stanley arrived on scene, chief Deuel asked him if he could smell cannabis and Stanley confirmed that he could.
Deuel allegedly asked Payne where the weed was and Payne (not renowned as the brightest crayon in the box) reached into his left shorts cargo pocket and pulled out three baggies of marijuana. (Apparently someone neglected to tell Carl that a person can’t be arrested for being stoned, nor for smelling like pot; and if a law enforcement official states he can “smell” marijuana, that might be enough for a search, but “giving consent” is the active phrase in this situation).
Stanley placed Payne in handcuffs and a further search of his person subsequent to arrest produced a small yellow glass cannabis smoking pipe and a pocket watch that when opened was hollowed out except for two small baggies of meth, something watch makers were never known to place in their products.
Mr. Payne was also found to be in possession of some $1,900 in cash, which chief Deuel advised he would be seizing because he believed the cash was the result of illegal drug activity.
Apparently Rector escaped unscathed this go-round.
Payne is a convicted felon having been sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections December 9, 2014 on convictions for Burglary and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (prescription medication).
Looks like that prison math put him back out on the streets in a matter of months instead of years.
For his latest alleged criminal act, Payne was booked into the county jail on charged of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis.
Cash bond in his case was set at $1,000.