Union County faces spat of meth, domestic violence reports

A guilty plea in a domestic violence case and two cases involving methamphetamine highlight the major source of crime in Union County, Ill., the state's attorney said Tuesday.

"That pretty well sums up my day," State's Attorney Allen James said. "We have meth, occasionally marijuana and lots of domestic violence, which is the bulk of the violent crimes."

Peter J. Gerbasi, 39, of Anna, Ill., pleaded guilty Thursday to threatening his wife of a few months and her 20-year-old son with a knife. Union County sheriff's deputies searching his home found a switchblade knife in the house and, when Gerbasi was taken into custody, another switchblade on his person, James said.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, James said.

At the time of his arrest, Gerbasi faced prison time for violating his probation in Johnson County, Ill. He was on probation after being convicted of predatory sexual assault of a child. His guilty plea means he is also in violation of the terms of a supervised release from the Montana Department of Corrections, James said.

Gerbasi will serve three years in prison for the weapons charge, and one year of supervised release afterward.

The methamphetamine cases include an arrest Friday in Alto Pass, Ill., and a guilty plea Monday.

In Friday's arrest, John A. Gleghorn, 48, was arrested after a search of his home found 250 grams of methamphetamine. Police had been aware of his alleged activities for quite a while, James said, calling him "one of the suspected large meth producers within the county for some time."

At the time of his arrest Friday, Gleghorn was on bond on numerous charges stemming from an earlier arrest for methamphetamine. "Police found just a little bit of stuff that time," James said.

A search warrant was issued, resulting in the discovery of Gleghorn's meth lab and large stash of the drug, James said.

The latest charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, James said.

The guilty plea was entered Monday by Lindell D. "Buddy" Lingle, 44, of Anna, Ill. Lingle was arrested following an undercover operation that included the use of audio and video taping of drug transactions, James said.

Lingle sold several grams at a time to undercover officers, James said. He will serve an eight-year prison term and three years of supervised release afterward. In addition, he forfeited his Ford F-150 pickup truck and $735 seized at the time of his arrest.

Lingle kept ingredients for methamphetamine at his home and kept a lab in a storage shed east of Anna, James said. The final step in the production process, called "cooking it off," James said, was done in the back of Lingle's pickup truck while he drove around.