Police investigation yields arrest of Illinois man, alleged meth seizure

A Tamms, Illinois, man faces a Class C felony relating to drug delivery; a Class D felony of unlawful possession of a firearm and a Class E felony of unlawful use of a weapon following an investigation that resulted in two cases over a two-day period.

Keith E. Williams, 40, is in custody of the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a cash-only $20,000 bond for those charges, and another $20,000 for another drug dealing charge from days earlier.

A police officer wrote in a probable-cause statement issued with the court that he observed a “hand-to-hand narcotics transaction” in the parking lot of a Cape Girardeau business shortly after midnight on May 6. The location of the business and the officer’s name are redacted in the document.

The officer followed the vehicle, which traveled “in the middle of the roadway, posing a danger to oncoming traffic.”

The officer said Williams denied consent to search his vehicle, but allowed a search of his person, which resulted in the discovery of a black plastic bag that contained a small amount of marijuana. Williams was released and issued a written warning for the lane violation. The officer conducted a separate traffic stop about an hour later when a consent search resulted in finding an “identical” black plastic baggie that contained one gram of methamphetamine. The officer recognized the man as being the subject who appeared to receive narcotics in the hand-to-hand transaction he observed earlier, according to the probable cause statement. The subject said he purchased the meth from Williams. A warrant was served as a result of this investigation.

On Wednesday, May 8, an officer pulled Williams over again, arresting him on the warrant. A K9 officer, Ethan Garnett, with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office conducted a drug search and found a satchel that contained a loaded .40 caliber handgun, a scale with white crystal residue, a clear bag with white crystal rocks, two white pills believed to contain fentanyl, and marijuana. All told, officers seized 20 grams of methamphetamine. Williams told police the gun and narcotics were not his. A records check conducted by the officer showed that Williams was a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess a firearm.