Man Sold Cocaine, Heroin To Joliet Police Over and Over, Then Got Busted: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — Adrian Ellis, a 43-year-old Joliet man from the 100 block of North Hickory Street, will remain in Will County's Jail under the SAFE-T-Act after being charged with seven counts of distributing cocaine, heroin and Fentanyl in the city of Joliet.

According to the Will County State's Attorney's Office petition to deny pretrial release, at noon Jan. 13, a Joliet police undercover officer reached out to Ellis, calling his phone, to purchase $50 in crack cocaine at the BP gas station at 6 McDonough St. on Joliet's southeast side.

The Joliet officer was in his undercover vehicle with a sergeant as they drove toward the gas station that Ellis wanted to meet him, court documents indicate. Ellis later informed the undercover officer to exit at the gas station parking lot but meet him at the convenience store down the street, the Samy's Food Mart at 52 McDonough St.

A red Cadillac arrived at the property and pulled up next to the undercover officer's vehicle. Ellis motioned with his hand to go to the passenger side of his car and the officer entered the front passenger seat and handed Ellis $50 and Ellis gave the officer one small clear plastic baggie with a white rock substance, court documents allege.

The officer later notified Joliet police's surveillance officers that the transaction was complete.

Joliet police had the item tested and it contained crack cocaine and fentanyl, weighing 0.9 grams.

The petition to deny Ellis his pretrial release also explained that follow up undercover drug buys by the Joliet police were again made on Jan. 15 with $100 at the Samy's Food Mart, on Jan. 21 with $100 at the Wendy's restaurant at 104 N. Center St., on Jan. 26, with $100 from Ellis' residence at 109 N. Hickory St. and Feb. 2, with $100 at 109 N. Hickory St.

Then last Wednesday, police obtained a search warrant for Ellis and his apartment house on North Hickory.

On Friday, Feb. 13, prosecutors say Joliet police met to discuss their plans to raid his house. At 8:20 a.m., Ellis was pulled over as he drove a black Nissan Murano and arrested. By 8:27 a.m., the officers knocked and announced their presence at his place on North Hickory and a woman answered the door, court files show. She was detained by Joliet police and nobody else was inside.

According to prosecutors, Joliet police recovered:

• Proof of residence for Ellis
• 44 individually packaged corner bags each containing heroin and it weighed 50.1 grams kept inside a navy-blue Tommy Hilfiger zipper bag
• 29 individually packed baggies each containing a white rock substance, cocaine, that weighed 14.7 grams also kept inside the same navy-blue Tommy Hilfiger zipper bag
• 1 black scale from the main room, top dresser drawer.
• Joliet police have impounded the Black Nissan Murano that Ellis drove at the time of his traffic stop as well as the red 2008 Cadillac CTS.

Ellis agreed to be interviewed by Joliet police, court files show, and "while in booking admitted that the narcotics recovered were his. Additionally, prior to being transported to booking, and prior to the search of the target location, defendant voluntarily spoke over the phone to a (Joliet police sergeant) and advised that the drugs were in his bedroom dresser."

One of the Will County judges assigned to the courthouse over the weekend ordered Ellis' to remain detained, however, the identity of the judge was not immediately clear based on the court files.