Bond was set for two Warren County residents who made detention hearings Friday afternoon in Knox County Circuit Court on meth possession and delivery charges.
32-year-old Joseph M. Engle of Monmouth and 23-year-old Cheyenne M. Christianson of Roseville made video appearances with Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh on several felony charges. The most severe of those charges being a Class X Meth Delivery Under 100 grams charge. That charge carries a 6 to 30 year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. They also face a Class 1 Charge of Possession of Methamphetamine between 15 and 100 grams.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathon T. Schlake read from the police reports detailing the accusations. According to the report officers observed a vehicle driving in a suspicious manner at around 3:48 a.m. on Tuesday. Officers watched it park at the Broadview Inn.
Two individuals, later identified as Christianson and Engle, were seen to be in the vehicle and according to reports did not make an attempt to exit the vehicle for several minutes.
Once they exited officers made contact with them regarding the suspicious driving. Christianson, who was driving, told police she didn’t know Galesburg well.
It was noted that Engle was identified as being out on parole, and thus was searched with no contraband found on him.
Officers indicated that they wanted to search the vehicle but she refused to allow it. A K-9 unit was called out and performed an air sniff test – alerting that drugs were in the vehicle.
Christianson again denied officers requests to search the vehicle and reports indicate that Engle began acting in a nervous manner.
The vehicle was towed until a search warrant was obtained. During the wait officers made contact with the Monmouth Police Department who indicated that Engle had allegedly been resuscitated with Narcon recently, and that the suspect vehicle had been reportedly involved in a hand to hand drug transaction.
Later in the day officers received their search warrant. A search turned up a glass smoking device with white powder residue in the glove box. In the center console 51.6 grams of what would field test positive for ice methamphetamine was discovered, along with a scale, plastic bags and several different pills.
They were arrested at a later date.
According to the IDOC website, Engle had been convicted in 2013 of Meth Delivery under 5 grams in Warren County. Christianson was involved in a 2017 Armed Violence and Possession of Meth Making Materials case that is still in Knox County Circuit Court.
Schlake recommended a bail of $75,000 – with 10% needed to get out of jail – for both individuals. Cavanaugh set Christianson’s bail at the recommended amount, but upped Engle’s to $250,000 . He cited Engle’s criminal history as a reason for setting it that high. He also urged Christianson to seek treatment, saying “there’s no better time than the present.”
A public defender was appointed for both Christianson and Engle.
A preliminary hearing for both individuals has been scheduled for August 28th.
