Peru man jailed pretrial after police find almost 2 pounds of cocaine, guns

A judge ordered that a convicted felon be detained Friday, a day after drug agents seized almost 2 pounds of cocaine plus firearms from a Peru residence.

Drugs and weapons just don’t mix.”

—  Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr.

Robert L. Wright Jr., 38, is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Class X felony, and one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. Prosecutors said Friday that the amount of purported cocaine seized is close to the 900-gram threshold, meaning Wright could be eligible for 12 to 50 years in prison.

Wright asked for pretrial release but was denied Friday in La Salle County Circuit Court. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. ruled that Wright, a convicted felon, allegedly was within “arm’s reach” of a firearm when drug agents raided the residence he shares. That, the judge ruled, puts Wright in “constructive possession” of the weapon and makes him a threat to the public.

“Drugs and weapons just don’t mix,” Ryan said.

A second defendant was granted pretrial release even though she, too, could face up to 50 years in prison.

Prosecutors asked for 27-year-old Charnelle N. Mond to be held in the La Salle County Jail while awaiting trial for felony possession of cocaine. But the judge was persuaded by Public Defender Ryan Hamer, who sat in for Mond while she seeks private counsel, to let Mond go free with conditions. She’ll wear an ankle monitor and be allowed to leave home for work and classes.

“No one else is to be in the home with her,” Ryan ruled. “No one else.”

Wright and Mond were charged after the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team and Peru police officers obtained a search warrant and raided Mond’s residence Thursday. From inside a safe, agents seized almost 2 pounds of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine, according to a news release sent Thursday. Agents also found ammunition and guns, including a stolen shotgun, “littered throughout” the residence, prosecutor Jason Goode said.

Hamer and Wright’s lawyer, Peru attorney Douglas Olivero, honed in on the search warrant obtained for Thursday’s search. According to court testimony Friday, agents monitored at least two off-site drug deals conducted by “intermediaries” – that is, not Wright or Mond – although the alleged proxies were linked to the raided residence.

The judge said Mond and Wright might have grounds to challenge their alleged links to the drugs, guns and off-site deals. Ultimately, he ruled that Wright presents a more immediate threat to the public.

Mond is scheduled to appear May 24 for arraignment. Wright, having been ordered detained, is subject to a speedier trial demand and will appear May 16 to get his trial dates.