MT. VERNON - Two city men were arrested on drug charges after a traffic stop Wednesday morning.
Mt. Vernon Police Department officers pulled over a vehicle driven by Michael Cole, 52, and occupied by William C. Spears, 25, at the intersection of 20th and Logan Streets shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Detective Capt. Ron Almaroad.
"The passenger fled when the officer stopped the car," he said. "The person who fled was stopped within one block. While he was running, he was discarding what appears to be methamphetamine."
Cole was arrested on charges of driving with a revoked license, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug equipment.
In 1990, he was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on drug possession charges. In 2000, he was found guilty of domestic battery causing bodily harm, a Class A misdemeanor.
In 2004, he was found guilty of possession or manufacture of less than or equal to 15 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 2 Felony, and failure to report to a penal institution or report for periodic imprisonment, a Class 1 felony.
He was charged with driving with a revoked license in 2008, and in 2011, was again charged for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor, and found guilty.
Spears on Tuesday was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, obstructing justice by destroying evidence and resisting arrest.
In 2005, Spears was found guilty of possession of less than 2.5 grams of cannabis, a Class C misdemeanor; he was also found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a Class A misdemeanor.
He was found guilty of driving on a suspended license in 2006, a Class A misdemeanor. Also in 2006, he was found guilty of possession of less than 2.5 grams of cannabis, a Class C misdemeanor.
In 2010, he was found guilty of knowingly damaging property of a value of less than $300, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal trespass of a building, a Class B misdemeanor. - http://goo.gl/JSSFA
