‘I just want to run,’ Peru man says in jail call after drug bust; judge orders to detain him

A parolee was wanted for three alleged drug deals conducted in 2024. When the police caught him, they said they found 5 ounces (about one-third pound) of purported cocaine. Mariano Verucchi now faces up to 40 years in prison.

Verucchi, 23, of Peru appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with four Class X drug charges. Three of them stem from deliveries in May and June of 2024 and carry mandatory prison sentences of six to 30 years.

Warrants were issued and Verucchi was picked up at 2:47 p.m. Monday at Route 251 and Midtown Road in Peru. There, a K-9 officer alerted to the vehicle and police found a package containing 140 grams of cocaine. As a result, Verucchi was charged with a Super Class X felony carrying nine to 40 years in prison. He’d have to serve 75% of any sentence.

Wednesday, Verucchi told Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. that he’s seeking private counsel, but agreed to let Public Defender Ryan Hamer represent him for the limited purpose of detention.

La Salle County prosecutors asked to have Verucchi held in La Salle County Jail while awaiting trial. Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Laura Hall said Verucchi had been paroled a matter of weeks when he allegedly participated in three drug deals in Marseilles on May 28, May 31 and June 5, each for more than 20 grams of cocaine.

After the Monday bust and 140-gram seizure, Hall said, Verucchi placed calls from jail and told one of his callers, “I just want to run but have nowhere to go.” That, Hall said, makes him a flight risk.

Public Defender Ryan Hamer argued for home confinement with an ankle monitor. Verucchi offered no resistance at the scene – “He was cooperative as far as I know” – and he pointed out the controlled purchases are nine months old, undercutting the state’s argument that Verucchi poses a threat to the public.

As for the call in which Verucchi expressed a desire to run, Hamer called it “a pipe dream” and a statement taken out of context.

“There’s no plan,” Hamer said. “There’s no effort. There’s nothing to it.”

But the judge was unpersuaded. Ryan said that Verucchi scored poorly on a risk assessment (10 on a 14-point scale) and decided that if Verucchi wouldn’t abide by the terms of parole then he was unlikely to comply with the terms of pre-trial release.

Verucchi is scheduled to return to court March 13 for appearance with counsel and arraignment.

Two more individuals are charged in connection with the Marseilles deliveries. Warrants were unsealed Tuesday against 35-year-old Caitlin M. Panas of Spring Valley and 49-year-old Ronald E. Bennett of Marseilles. Both are charged with Class X delivery and could face six to 30 years.