An Ottumwa man has been indicted on six felony drug charges in Illinois following a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 80 in late August.
Derek Westwater, 42, was indicted by a Grundy County grand jury on September 16th on six felony charges including Unlawful Delivery and Possession of Over 900 grams of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Fentanyl between 15 and 100 grams with Intent to Deliver, and Unlawful Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Deliver — all Class X felonies. He also faces Unlawful Possession of Cocaine, a Class 1 felony, and Unlawful Possession of Fentanyl, a Class 4 felony.
According to a press release from the Morris Police Department, the incident began on August 29th at approximately 6:50 p.m. when a Morris Police officer observed a vehicle commit three traffic violations near Route 47 and Romines Drive. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop but Westwater failed to stop and continued westbound onto Interstate 80. Morris officers followed the vehicle to the county line, where Grundy County Sheriff’s Department deputies assumed responsibility and continued the pursuit. The vehicle was ultimately stopped near mile marker 91 with assistance from the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office and the Ottawa Police Department.
As deputies approached the vehicle, they observed Westwater with white powder on his person and suspected he had ingested narcotics. He was transported to a local hospital for medical attention before being taken to the Grundy County Jail. A search of the vehicle uncovered approximately 2,765 grams of methamphetamine, 35 grams of fentanyl, and 138 grams of crack cocaine or cocaine.
Westwater remains detained in the Grundy County Jail and has a status hearing on October 23rd.
