No More Cadillac With Tinted Windows For Joliet Cocaine Dealer From Gardner St: State's Attorney Forfeiture

JOLIET, IL — Eric Lanier may have regained his freedom after spending three weeks in the Will County Jail last September and October, but his issues with the criminal justice system are only growing. The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has just filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to seize the 2013 Cadillac CTS belonging to the 42-year-old Joliet defendant "pertaining to a felony violation of the Controlled Substance Act."

According to the filing, on Sept. 25, the Will County Sheriff's Police raided Lanier's house in the 1000 block of Gardner Street, which is right across the street from Nowell Park.

Back in early September, authorities said Will County's gang suppression unit, through the use of a confidential informant referred to in court documents as "Pat Doe," conducted three cocaine purchases during which Lanier arrived at a predetermined location in his 2013 Cadillac CTS "and conducted a hand-to-hand exchange with Pat Doe. Pat Doe advised that they have purchased cocaine from Lanier on multiple occasions in the past and advised that Lanier drives a silver Cadillac CTS with tinted windows," court files show.

The forfeiture complaint also noted that sheriff's deputies spotted Lanier stopping briefly at the shared driveway on Gardner Street before driving to a predetermined location for one of the drug deals. Following the sale, Lanier returned to his house on Gardner Street. On Sept. 25, Will County Sheriff's Police raided the house on Gardner and recovered a bag with cocaine weighing 150 grams, 18 individually wrapped baggies of crack cocaine weighing 63.7 grams, two digital scales, eight individually wrapped bags of cocaine weighing 11.8 grams, 14 more individually wrapped bags of cocaine, six broken pills of Ecstacy and a large bag of meth weighing 96 grams, the complaint outlined. There were also smaller amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine throughout the kitchen, prosecutors noted.

"Dry cleaning bags and mail addressed to Eric Lanier were also located in the northeast bedroom of the residence," the forfeiture revealed.

During a search of the Cadillac, the Will County police found one plastic bag of crack cocaine weighing 1.2 grams and the key to the back door of the house on Gardner Street, prosecutors noted.

Last week's filing asks that Will County's judges declare Lanier's 2013 Cadillac CTS a forfeited asset for the police and order it sold at public auction, destroyed or delivered to a law enforcement agency somewhere in Illinois.