Owner of Huge Pot-Growing House Busted, 150 Plants Confiscated: Cops

Ehren Meintel also had more than 5,000 grams of pot and a dozen guns, according to New Lenox police, who conducted the investigation.

Police seized 150 cannabis plants, more than 11 pounds of pot and a dozen firearms during a raid on a Joliet house described as an "elaborate marijuana manufacturing operation." Ehren Meintel, 27, of 1408 Roosevelt, Joliet, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of unlawful production of marijuana in connection with the pot-growing house he owns at 510 Park Drive. Will County sheriff's deputies carried out a raid on the house Tuesday, acting on a warrant issued by the New Lenox Police Department. Meintel's connection to the New Lenox investigation has not been released. In the house, officers discovered a sophisticated growing operation that included industrial lighting, fans, growing trays and fertlizer, New Lenox police said. Each of the …

•  18 Comments
• Photos (2)

2 New Lenox Men Found With Cocaine After Traffic Stop, Police Say

A simple traffic stop turns resulted in a double dose of drug arrests.

Two 24-year-old New Lenox men were arrested Jan. 18 by New Lenox police and booked on drug charges. Brian Falls, of the 600 block of S. Cooper Road, and Eric Larson, of the 500 block of Stafford Drive, were arrested for felony drug charges.  According to the report, police spotted Falls in a traffic violation Friday at Cedar and Delaney Roads, pulled him over and found more than what they were looking for. The two were arrested by police for having what appeared to be cocaine. The driver, Brian Falls, of the 600 block of S.Cooper Road, was cited for improper lane usage. The two were charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment.  The two were booked in to Will County jail. For …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (2)

David

11:07 am on Friday, January 25, 2013

in this situation, the cops probably didn't need to ask permission. Probably cause gives them the right to search the car. The article isn't detailed enough to know for sure if there was probable cause. BUT, the car was weaving which is a sign of intoxication ("improper lane usage" generally means weaving--it could also be changing lanes without a signal), and the cops found weed on them which …   more ›

Gun Shots Fired After an Argument; 2 New Lenox Men Arrested (UPDATED)

An argument got way out of hand and resulted in gun shots fired.

Gun Shots Fired After a Dispute; 2 New Lenox Men Arrested (UPDATED)

An argument got way out of hand and resulted in gun shots fired.

An argument in the wee hours of the morning Friday boiled over into a reckless and dangerous situation. Gun shots were fired in the 2100 block of Cattlemen Drive. No one was injured, but two men were arrested in the aftermath. According to New Lenox Police, Timothy Colanto, 25, of the 2000 block of Sanford Avenue, was charged with three felonies: aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, reckless discharge of a weapon and using a gun while his FIOD card had been revoked.  Colanto's bond was set at $10,000. Joe Gonzalez, 39, of the 2100 block of Cattlemen Drive, was charged with battery. Are you a true fan of crime? "Like" the Crime-n-Shame Facebook page, where mischief and mayhem are revealed.   Shortly after 4 a.m. police were called to the …

•  13 Comments
• Photos (2)

NL4LIFE

11:27 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012

This neighborhood has some big expensive homes.   more ›

Four-man Team of Shoplifters Target Video Games

Police pick up a team of four on attempted video game theft and suspect their involvement in a previous cell phone theft.

A team of four shoplifters was busted at Walmart for attempting to leave the store with more than $500 worth of video games. Police say four men from Joliet were arrested Oct. 24 after security staff at Walmart in the 500 block of E. Route 30, spotted them leaving the store without paying for a stack of video games.  The four were identified as: According to the report, employees from the store identified them as allegedly the same team that walked off with cell phones on Oct. 19. All four were taken to the Will County jail. Carter and Blackwell were charged with felony retail theft and bond was set at $25,000 and $15,000 respectively. Haydon-Winters and Meadows-Tanzy were charged with misdemeanor theft.  Readers might like:   Like what …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (2)

Dan

8:27 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Walmart is on the West side in Joliet. New Lenox is extremely close to the East side of Joliet. Nevertheless, crime happens everywhere, so let's not stereotype stores or people.   more ›

Heroin Possession Nets Felony Arrest; Police Blotter

Domestic battery charges lands man in Will County Jail.

An 18-year-old New Lenox man stopped for a simple traffic violation on Oct. 3 landed in Will County Jail when police discovered he was allegedly in possession of heroin.  According the report, police stopped a car driven by Zachary Duncan, of the 300 block of Sunset Trail, in the area of Northgate and Stonegate Roads. After it was discovered that he was allegedly carrying heroin, police say the substance they "field tested" came up positive for heroin. Duncan was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, between 15-100 grams. He was taken to Will County Jail and booked. He posted $1,500, which is 10 percent of the set bond. Domestic Battery Results in Arrest A 42-year-old Chicago man was charged Oct. 4 with domestic battery…

•  25 Comments
• Photos (2)

Ann C. Piasecki

12:41 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thanks for your comments. It seems the conversation has run its course. No more comments will be accepted.   more ›

Man Charged With DUI After Fatal Accident

A 22-year-old Manhattan man was killed in a fiery blaze Aug. 25 in Frankfort Township. The driver of the car, New Lenox resident Kevin Krohn, was charged Thursday with an aggravated DUI.

A 22-year-old New Lenox man has been charged with felony aggravated DUI in connection with a fatal accident Aug. 25 that resulted in the death of Jake Stevens of Manhattan. Kevin Krohn, of the 100 block of North Cooper Street, was booked into Will County Jail on Thursday following an investigation of the accident. A Will County Sheriff's Police investigation alleges that about 3:45 a.m. Krohn was drinking and driving on Steger Road at 104th Avenue in Frankfort Township when he lost control of the vehicle. Stevens, 22, was passenger in the car; he died as a result of burns. Sheriff's police said the vehicle went off the road, hit an obstruction and minutes later it burst into flames. Krohn reportedly injured his leg in the accident; however…

•  36 Comments
• Photos (1)

Police: Man Smashed Glass Over Victim’s Head During Bar Fight

Robert J. Crosby of New Lenox is charged with aggravated battery after alleged altercation at Tap House Grill.

A man accused of smashing a pint glass over another bar patron’s head in a dispute over a woman is facing felony charges, according to Plainfield police. Robert J. Crosby, 31, of the 100 block of Gum Street, New Lenox, was arrested after a fight broke out at Tap House Grill, 24402 W. Lockport St., on Aug. 25. Sgt. Mike Fisher said Crosby told police he became involved in an altercation with another group of bar patrons after one of them allegedly hit on his friend’s girlfriend. “He used one of the pint glasses as a weapon and hit one of the other subjects in the back of the head with the pint glass,” Fisher said. The victim suffered a gash on his head and was rendered unconscious, according to Fisher, while Crosby cut his hand. “In his …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

New Lenox Man Nabbed In Forest Preserve Sex Sting

Forest Preserve Police are working to stymie a pattern that has developed in which people are having sex at Hammel Woods in Shorewood.

A 55-year-old New Lenox man was charged with public indecency after police found him having sex in the woods, police said.  According to Tracy Phillips, a lieutenant for the Will County Forest Preserve Police, an undercover officer from the department had been stationed at Hammel Woods in Shorewood on July 26 to investigate a series of complaints about sexual activity occuring in the forest. Police said Andrew Mekstan, of New Lenox, was having public sex and fled the scene in his truck when police arrived.  Get Patch newsletters and breaking news alerts.  While racing away, he allegedly drove around a locked forest preserve gate, into a ditch and then into a driveway at a mobile home community, Phillips said. The truck bottomed out when it…

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Underage Drinker Grabs Cop's Glasses and Flees, Police Say

A New Lenox Police Officer was treated and released from Silver Cross Hospital for a scratch to his eye after a run-in with a 20-year-old resident who was involved in multiple incidents Tuesday night, police said.

Shortly after he was released by police with underage drinking tickets, a New Lenox resident grabbed glasses from an officer's face and fled the scene, police said. Jerome Dudko, 20, of the 2800 block of Rebecca Lane, was arrested Aug. 7 and booked into the Will County Jail on charges of aggravated battery, disarming a peace officer, theft, damage to property and resisting arrest. According to the New Lenox police report, only an hour earlier Dudko had been arrested in the Village Commons area. Police were called about about someone who was intoxicated. He was taken into custody and ticketed for underage possession of alcohol and consumption of alcohol. He was released at about 11 p.m., and minutes later he was stopped for walking down the…

•  23 Comments
• Photos (1)

Bill

1:27 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012

Mokena Resident, you should read the article again. It says he was walking down the middle of the raod and they asked him to move to the sidewalk. That seems pretty reasonable to me.   more ›