The 2016 Summer Camp Music Festival will be held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois from May 27-29. This event always attracts thousands of visitors from all across the United States that travel to the Peoria area in order to hear their favorite music groups and enjoy the festival experience. However, festival-goers should be alert to the ever increasing law enforcement presence over the festival weekend. Many local law enforcement agencies have begin to call Summer Camp the “Felony Fest.”
In 2015, there were 19 Class X felony drug arrests made by the Peoria-Multi County Narcotics Enforcement Group. A Class X felony can land a person in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a minimum of 6-30 years. Many of these arrests were made by undercover officers posing as festival-goers. The undercover officers pose as drug buyers and buy drugs from unsuspecting festival-goers leading to a strong case in court compared to typical informant evidence.
Depending on the amount of marijuana or other drug and whether or not the State can win an intent to deliver or delivery of cannabis, a person may face a felony which can carry a long time in prison. For all the marijuana penalties, see our blog post on Cannabis Penalties. Possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver, unlawful possession or delivery of prescription drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession or delivery of Ecstasy, possession or delivery of LSD all, depending upon the circumstances of each case, can land you in prison.
If you are arrested for a drug-related offense, the police will seize your vehicle and belongings under the Illinois Drug Asset Forfeiture Act. Basically, anything that the police find most likely will be seized by law enforcement and held as evidence against you. This could include money, jewelry, cellphone, tablet and other items of value. Furthermore, your bond will be set extremely high to ensure your appearance in court. You will need an experienced attorney to reduce the bond amount and your freedom of movement regained.
While drug usage and trafficking is a major emphasis for local law enforcement, many other visitors have been arrested or cited for alcohol violations, battery, assault, disorderly conduct and many other alleged crimes that could forever have an impact on one’s life. With the increased presence of law enforcement, the odds are increased that you may be stopped and changed with possession, DUI, driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or other drug. If you are accused of any crime while visiting the Summer Camp Music Festival, make sure you hire representation that has experience with these types of accusations.
If you are stopped, questioned, or arrested, remember (1) You always have the right to remain silent, use it! (2) You are never legally required to do field sobriety tests (3) You have an absolute statutory rightNOT to give a Preliminary Breath Test (the device Not attached to a printer) and (4) unless you have not consumed alcohol for at least 24 hours, or cannabis for 30 days, you should probably refuse (do not consent) any chemical testing (breath, urine, swab, blood) UNLESS you are presented with a WARRANT signed by a judge and directed at you.
Prosecutors and law enforcement inside Peoria County view Summer Camp as a nuisance. As a result, the experienced and skilled prosecutors in the Peoria County State’s Attorneys office have been and will continue to seek convictions and sentences as a deterrent for future festival visitors. Do not let yourself become the example they want to set. Make sure you call Gullberg Law, LLC. We have extensive experience defending people charged with these types of crimes.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime at the 2016 Summer Camp Music Festival, call (309) 734-1001 for a free consultation.