Ottawa man held in drugs, gun case

Another man charged in the discovery of two stash houses containing drugs and guns will be held in the La Salle County Jail while awaiting trial, which is set for Feb. 26.

Thomas J. Higgins, 45, of Ottawa, appeared Tuesday in La Salle County Circuit Court for a detention hearing. Prosecutors sought to have him held on four felonies led by armed violence, a Class X felony carrying 15 to 30 years in prison.

Higgins was charged Dec. 4 after a confidential source working with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team alerted agents that Higgins, a convicted felon, had an assault weapon and drugs.

Higgins then left the residence, and police seized contraband during an ensuing traffic stop.

On Tuesday, Assistant Public Defender Doug Kramarsic opposed detention, saying the information linking Higgins to the drugs and guns was provided by a confidential source whose reliability needed to be taken with a grain of salt.

“The evidence is weak at best,” Krarmarsic said, proposing home electronic monitoring.

But Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Matt Kidder said the confidential source accurately directed drug agents to the assault rifle and drugs. Investigators also obtained photos of Higgins handling weapons and drugs.

“The proof is pretty strong,” Kidder said.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. agreed and ordered Higgins detained.

Higgins will next appear in court Feb. 2 for a motions hearing.

The suspect in an overlapping case was ordered detained at a previous hearing.

Brennen Lee Jorgenson, 27, of Marseilles, is charged with three Class X drug felonies plus seven counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.

He also sought pretrial release but was detained ahead of trial April 8.

On paper, Higgins and Jorgenson’s cases are separate. But an undercover TRI-DENT agent said in open court that the Higgins investigation led to the discovery of a “stash house” in Marseilles, later identified as Jorgenson’s residence.