1975 Buick LeSabre Convertible Faces Joliet Police Forfeiture

JOLIET, IL — A 41-year-old man from Dolton suspected of dealing crack cocaine in Joliet last year now faces the prospect of having his 1975 Buick LeSabre become a forfeited asset for the police. The Will County State's Attorney's Office has initiated a civil forfeiture case against Ira Donate Cunningham, who remains in the Will County Jail on a no-bail hold for the Illinois Department of Corrections in connection with several cocaine dealing charges.

According to the complaint, Joliet officer Tom Conroy spotted Cunningham driving the 1975 Buick LeSabre convertible with the top down near Richards Street and Second Avenue on Oct. 7.

The music Cunningham was too loud; the sound amplified more than 75 feet, the forfeiture states.

"Officer Conroy knows Cunningham by face and name and knew his license to be revoked multiple times," court records show.

The traffic stop occurred in a driveway in the 300 block of Third Avenue and "Cunningham proceeded to tell Officer Conroy that he didn't have his license on his person and that his name was Amin Hudson," the court documents show.

The Joliet officer told Cunningham that he knew he was giving false information and he already Cunningham's real name. When the officer tried to do a pat down search of Cunningham outside the car, Cunningham pushed the officer and took off running, but Conroy grabbed Cunningham's pants around his waist and with the help of another officer, they kept Cunningham detained on the ground, the forfeiture states.

The subsequent search recovered two clear plastic baggies of crack cocaine inside Cunningham's sweatshirt pocket plus $1,375 cash in his pants, court files show.

The crack cocaine tested positive and weighed 65.6 grams at the Joliet police station, court records state.

The complaint reveals that Cunningham had been the target of a three-month-long Joliet police narcotics investigation, and police learned that Cunningham bought the 1975 Buick LeSabre from a private seller in Louisiana by writing a cashier's check.

Now, Glasgow's staff wants a Will County judge to declare the 1975 Buick LeSabre a forfeited police asset because the car was used to transport a controlled substance in felony violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

The forfeiture case is set for a hearing before a Will County judge on March 10.