Peru parolee, La Salle woman charged in cocaine busts

A parolee and a La Salle woman were charged with drug felonies following separate, recently-concluded investigations by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team.

Matthew A. Persich, 36, of Peru, is charged with two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, Tri-DENT said in a Tuesday news release. One count is a Class 1 felony (four to 15 years in prison) for allegedly delivering less than 15 grams of cocaine to agents and the second is a Class 2 felony (three to seven years) for allegedly delivering less than a gram to agents.

At the time of the alleged offenses, Tri-DENT said Persich was on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections after serving part of a 12-year sentence in 2018 for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance in La Salle County. IDOC shows Perisch back in state custody, scheduled for release in May.

Following a separate investigation, Lesley A. Warren, 39, of La Salle, was charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony, for allegedly delivering more than one gram but less than 15 grams of cocaine to agents.

Both subjects were issued notices to appear in court by the La Salle County States Attorney’s Office. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty.