Rochelle man pleads not guilty to possessing, delivering cocaine and ecstasy

OREGON – A Rochelle man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to possessing a large amount of ecstasy and cocaine, which police said he intended to sell.

Christopher L. Reed, 30, entered the not guilty plea when he appeared with his attorney, Assistant Ogle County Public Defender Michael O’Brien, for a preliminary hearing in front of Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska.

Reed is charged with two Class X felonies – the most serious felonies in Illinois – for possessing between 200 and 600 ecstasy pills, also called MDMA, and 15 to 100 grams of cocaine after being stopped for a traffic violation Jan. 8 in Rochelle.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, ecstasy/MDMA, commonly called “molly,” is both a stimulant and hallucinogen, “producing an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences. Known as a party drug, ecstasy comes in pill or powder form; the pill has a variety of logos and colors.”

During Wednesday’s hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten said Rochelle police officer Trevor Owen discovered the pills and cocaine in a backpack that was on the floor in front of Reed, who was a passenger in a car pulled over for a traffic offense about 7:20 p.m. on Lincoln Avenue.

Owen said his K-9 partner Odie, a trained narcotics detection dog, alerted to the drugs when he was walked around the vehicle.

During a search of the vehicle, Owen said he found a “significant amount of cash” – $450 – and a white substance in one of the front pockets of the backpack. He said the substance was field tested and determined to be 1.2 grams of cocaine. Two orange pills were determined to be ecstasy.

Owen said he found two more bags of cocaine inside the backpack that weighed 35.5 grams and 206 pills of ecstasy. He said a scale with powder residue and plastic bags also were found during the search.

“I believe the defendant was selling the narcotics,” Owen testified.

Under cross-examination by O’Brien, Owen said he had received “confidential” tips from an informant that Reed was “selling drugs.”

“You immediately called for assistance when you made the traffic stop,” O’Brien said.

“Yes,” Owen replied.

O’Brien questioned the purpose of pulling over the vehicle and the subsequent search, but Leisten objected, saying those questions were outside the parameters of a preliminary hearing, wherein a judge determines whether probable cause exists to continue with the charges.

“Motions to suppress are relevant to the question of a traffic stop and search,” O’Brien said.

But Peska agreed with Leisten and sustained the objection.

O’Brien then asked the court to reconsider a decision made to keep Reed in custody.

Detention hearings are part of the relatively new pretrial release directive in which judges decide whether a defendant should be held in custody rather than setting a bond for release.

Criteria used by judges to make that decision include the nature of the alleged offenses, whether the defendant’s release would present a “clear and present danger” to the community or individuals, and whether the defendant is considered to be a “flight risk” and likely not appear again for scheduled court cases.

Leisten argued that Reed should not be released, citing his criminal history and that Reed was currently on probation for another offense in another county when this alleged offense occurred.

O’Brien argued that Reed could be released and electronically monitored.

“These are detainable offenses,” Peska said. “And they certainly are serious. These substances cause significant harm. And because the alleged offense happened while the defendant was on probation is pretty telling. I don’t believe GPS monitoring removes the danger here.”

Peska set Reed’s next hearing at 1 p.m. Jan. 29 and remanded him to the Ogle County Jail.

Class X felonies carry a maximum sentence of six to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, and enhancements to those offenses, if found guilty, can be nine to 40 years.