CHICAGO — The good news is that Anthony Hughes met with his parole officer as scheduled on Sunday. The bad news, according to prosecutors, is that Hughes brought a bunch of pot and a drug scale to his appointment.
Illinois Department of Corrections parole agents detained Hughes, 37, and called Chicago police to arrest him after he showed up for his appointment with more than ten ounces of marijuana divided up between 34 bags and 19 containers, prosecutor Rhianna Biernat said Monday. Investigators allegedly found a digital scale and several kinds of empty packaging, too.
“I can’t imagine why you would bring 285 grams of marijuana to check in with your parole officer, including a scale, but here we are,” Judge Charles Beach wondered aloud during Hughes’ bail hearing.
Biernat said Hughes is on parole for Class X armed habitual criminal. He has prior convictions for felony unlawful use of a weapon, cocaine manufacture-delivery, and possession of a controlled substance.
But, even though parole officers called the police to arrest Hughes, IDOC has not taken steps to revoke his parole in light of the new allegations.
“This scale and 285 grams,” Beach asked Biernat, “he literally took it into the building for his parole check?”
“That’s the information that I have,” Biernat replied.
“The irony of them not filing the parole violation on the spot. They’re gonna call law enforcement to arrest him, but not necessarily file a violation.”
“You know,” Biernat confirmed with some bewilderment, “that’s the information I have, judge.”
“I appreciate it. I guess you can’t necessarily make this up, right?” Beach continued.
The judge ordered Hughes to pay a $750 bail deposit to get out of jail on a charge of felony marijuana possession.
Not quite half-way
In another parole head-scratcher from Chicago felony bond court on Monday…
Prosecutors said Chicago cops were called to a Bobby Wright supervised living facility on Sunday to handle a 911 call about a person with a gun inside the facility. When they arrived, a security guard informed them that a man upstairs was pointing a gun at the TV while watching a rap video.
The officers went upstairs and asked Nicholas Handy-Ambrose, 28, where the gun was.
He allegedly told them that it was on the couch. And, in fact, police found a loaded 9-millimeter handgun right where he said it would be, prosecutors alleged.
Handy-Ambrose has been on parole for armed robbery since June.
His lawyer said that he has a degree in business from Chicago State University and sometimes goes to church.
“Excuse me,” Handy-Ambrose interjected during his bail hearing. “I had found that firearm, sir!”
“Nicholas!” his public defender countered. “It’s against the advice of counsel for you to speak at this time! Just be quiet, OK?”
Judge Beach ordered Handy-Ambrose held without bail at the state’s request.
“You were pointing the gun at the TV during a rap video. Perhaps you don’t like the video, I dunno,” Beach concluded.
IDOC is reviewing Handy-Ambrose’s parole status in light of the new allegations.
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