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Much work preceded crack bust Investigation of suspected trafficking ring part of local partnership targeting hard drugs By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com Police spent hundreds of hours following about a dozen people they suspected of trafficking crack cocaine in DeKalb County. The investigation started in January with a tip. On separate occasions, police arranged for an informant to buy less than a gram of cocaine from two Chicago men, according to court records and police. From there, they
said they tried to unravel a crack supply ring of suspected users, two suspected drug runners and Terry M. Griffin, a 31-year-old Chicago man with suspected gang ties. Ten DeKalb County residents and one of the suspected drug runners – Antonnio B. Sanders, 31, of Chicago – were arrested Tuesday. Two other local residents were arrested earlier in the investigation. Griffin and Christopher E. Bell, 29, of Chicago,
Arrested on felony drug charges this week • Antonnio B. Sanders, 31, of Chicago • Christopher J. Stogsdill, 45, of Sycamore • James B. Phillips, 55, of DeKalb • Jason Coppens, 38, of DeKalb • Brian D. Ottenhausen, 40, of DeKalb • Eldridge D. Moore, 62, of
Sycamore • Terence J. Low, 57, of DeKalb • Ronald Bannister, 40, of DeKalb • Christopher K. Riggs, 36, of DeKalb • Dianatha Hardesty, 50, of DeKalb • Andrew Burkett, 58, of DeKalb
are wanted on multiple felony charges.
The investigation ultimately involved a lot of
Mayor prepares to leave office
police time, 15 new felony cases and few seized drugs. Cocaine and crack are not as prevalent in DeKalb County as marijuana, but police leaders hope these arrests are the first in a long series of proactive police efforts targeting hard drugs. “I’d like the message to be: ‘You come here to do it, we’re going to do everything we can to not only eradicate you, but prosecute you and incarcerate you,’ ” DeKalb Police Chief Gene Lowery said.
Povlsen has long history of DeKalb public service By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com
Photos by Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Mayor Kris Povlsen (left) receives a resolution commending and congratulating him for 16 years of service to the city as mayor and 2nd Ward alderman from 6th Ward Alderman David Baker at the April 22 DeKalb City Council meeting. Mayor Kris Povlsen looks at documents April 22 during his final DeKalb City Council meeting. Povlsen’s last day in office is Monday.
More online For a video of an exit interview with DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen, visit daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – During his 16-year tenure on the City Council, Kris Povlsen never saw himself as a politician. He vowed to never let personal interest guide his decision-making, even if it meant losing a friendship. The minute he did so, he would resign. “I have lost friends. I have made decisions that I know have lost friends,” Povlsen said. “There are people who don’t speak to me to this day because of something I’ve done. ... That’s probably the guiding principle, is that I am not here for personal gain. I’m not here to make friends. “... I’m here to make a decision based on what’s the best interest of the community. And I can honestly say I’ve always done that.” Monday marks the last day of Povlsen’s tenure as mayor, and possibly his last day in public office. Mayor-elect John Rey, along with Aldermen-elect Bill Finucane and Robert Snow, will be sworn in during a special ceremony at 6 p.m. Povlsen described his final days as mayor as bittersweet. He said he would miss the dayto-day interactions with the public and challenges of the day, but he’s looking forward to having more freedom. One thing Povlsen won’t miss, however, is the disappointment people have whenever legislation is enacted. “Managing a tight budget with community demands is really, really challenging, and I’m not going to miss that because a municipality can’t do everything for everyone,” Povlsen said. “Every time we put a budget together, there are aspects that are going to disappoint people.”
See POVLSEN, page A10
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See DRUG RING, page A9
Solid job gains ease fears about economy By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER The Associated Press WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy showed last month why it remains the envy of industrialized nations: In the face of tax increases and federal spending cuts, employers added a solid 165,000 jobs in April – and far more in February and March than anyone thought. The hiring in April drove down the unemployment rate to a four-year low of 7.5 percent and sent a reassuring sign that the U.S. job market is improving. The economy is benefiting from a resurgent housing market, rising consumer confidence and the Federal Reserve’s stimulus actions, which have helped lower borrowing costs and lift the stock mar- Voice your ket. opinion The stock market soared after the Labor Do you think Department issued the the economy is April jobs report Fristronger than it day. T h e D o w J o n e s was 6 months industrial average ago? Vote online at closed up 142 points, Daily-Chronicle. or nearly 1 percent, com. to a record a record 14,973. It briefly broke 15,000 for the first time. Coming after a poor March jobs report and some recent data showing economic weakness, the April figures helped ease fears that U.S. hiring might be slumping for a fourth straight year. “Businesses haven’t lost confidence yet,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economist at the Martin Smith School of Business at California State University. “Consumers are feeling better. The decent employment gains will add to the optimism and help lift future spending.” The Labor Department revised upward its estimate of job gains in February and March by a combined 114,000. It raised its estimate for February job gains from 268,000 to 332,000 and for March from 88,000 to 138,000.
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Police have seized far more marijuana and marijuana plants than hard drugs in recent years, partially because drugs such as cocaine and heroin are harder to detect, DeKalb County Chief Deputy Gary Dumdie said. “When you walk up to a car, it’s very easy for us to smell marijuana,” Dumdie said. “There’s lots of different ways to ingest cocaine.”
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