Springfield, Illinois – On November 18, 2019, around 2:50 p.m., a Springfield Park District Police Officer made a drug arrest in Iles Park, located in the 700 block of E. Oak St.,
Springfield Police Park District Officer, Pat Murphy, reports that he observed Raedell M. Waits, age 28, exiting a public restroom in Iles Park after a lengthy stay in the restroom. According to Officer Murphy, the area is known for illicit drug use. Officer Murphy then approached Raedell and started a consensual contact conversation. During the conversation, it was reported that Raedell gave the Officer verbal permission to search her bag.
During the officers encounter with Raedell, she originally provided the officer a false name and date of birth. While the officer searched Raedell’s bag, he located a glass smoking pipe with methamphetamine residue and 1/4 gram of meth in a separate plastic bag. Also located was cannabis and cannabis paraphernalia.
According to the Officer, after he located the drugs, he reported that Raedell took off running on foot across the park, but she was apprehended on the sidewalk after a short foot pursuit. “She did not further resist arrest and no physical force used to conduct arrest,” wrote Officer Murphy.
Raedell was given an ordinance violation for the cannabis possession and booked into the Sangamon County Jail on two pending felony criminal charges of possession of a controlled substance and obstruction of justice.
On November 20, 2019, The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office filed official criminal charges against Raedell for resisting a peace officer and possession of drug paraphernalia, both are a class A misdemeanor. Raedell pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and in exchange for her pleading guilty, the resisting a peace officer charge was dismissed. Raedell was sentenced to 20 days in the Sangamon County Jail and ordered to pay a fine of $514.00.