300+ Pills Found in Traffic Stop: Police Blotter

Forest Park police found more than 300 pills in the car of a Chicago man following a traffic stop March 1. 

William Pickens, 51, of Chicago, was charged with 16 counts of controlled substance possession and disobeying a stop sign. 

An officer saw Pickens fail to make a stop near Ferdinand and Fillmore in Forest Park. Pickens had earphones in as police talked to him, and when asked if he had anything illegal on him he paused and then answered yes. 

Pickens pointed to a jacket pocket, in which police found 11 pills of Hydrocodone, three pills of Oxycontin and seven pills of Alprazolam. Police also found a bag in the front seat that contained several more prescription pill bottles with a variety of pills inside. Some had names of the people they were prescribed to, and others didn't have any names.

The pills were prescribed to three other people and included: 29 pills of Oxycontin, 26 pills of Alprazolam, five pills of Diazepam, 32 pills of Hydrocodone, 10 pills of amphetamine, eight pills of Suboxone, two pills of Zolpidem, 28 pills of Abilify and 143 pills of Hydromorphone.

Pickens said he's friends with one of the people whose names was listed on a bottle, and that he was given some of those pills as well as pills for cancer treatment to deliver to another friend. He said he also takes some of the pills for personal use.

He was not eligible for bond and was given a March 21 court date.

Are you a fan of true crime? "Like" the Crime-n-Shame page on Facebook and get clued in on mischief making and weird crime throughout the Chicago area.

Police Blotter information is provided the Forest Park Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

Want more stories like this? Follow us on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter:

• Get the Free Oak Park-River Forest Newsletter and Like us on Facebook.
• Get the Free Forest Park Newsletter and Like us on Facebook.