Two Felony Drug Arrests In One Day In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — Two people were arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, a felony, in connection with separate incidents Monday.

In the first instance, two Evanston police officers were approached by a woman shortly before 3 a.m. at a Shell station in the 100 block of Ridge Road, police said.

Kristen L. Longhi, 28, of the 1400 block of West Greenleaf in Chicago, appeared unstable, was wearing no shoes and looked to be intoxicated, police said. She first asked to use a phone to call a friend, but she became increasingly erratic when officers began to question her, according to police reports.

"Shoot me now," she told police. Growing more agitated, she told the cops, "Everything I have is in this purse," the officers reported.

According to Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan, the officers noticed her repeatedly opening her purse and reaching inside of it as she told them to shoot her, leading them to decide to search the bag. Police conducted a search of Longhi's purse and found three small bags of suspect cocaine.

Police called for an ambulance which took her to the hospital.

Longhi was booked Tuesday into Cook County Jail on charges relating to possession of a stolen vehicle, dating from a January arrest in Chicago, ahead of a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

In the second incident Monday, at 1:37 p.m., Evanston police stopped a vehicle in the 7300 block of Damen Avenue in Chicago after the driver failed to properly signal and cops saw the rear passenger moving around inside without a seat belt, according to police reports.

The vehicle was driven by a 32-year-old Morton Grove man, with a 55-year-old McHenry man in the passenger seat and a 32-year-old Chicago woman sitting in the rear of the vehicle, according to police.

Officers said as they approached the vehicle, the McHenry man became nervous and zipped up a backpack between his legs. His alleged furtive movements lead to a search of the vehicle.

Police said they found two pipes, about one gram of cannabis and a Tic-Tac container with two Xanax pills inside.

Michael J. Luciani, of the 7500 block of Forest Oak Drive in McHenry, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. The Morton Grove man and Chicago woman were released without charge, according to police.

Top photo: Kristen Longhi, Michael Luciani | Via Cook County Sheriff, Evanston PD