BLOOMINGTON — A 20-year-old has been detained facing 22 felony offenses involving selling cannabis, firearms and ammunition to a confidential police source.
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Cody R. Able of Normal is charged with the following offenses:
two counts of armed violence, Class X felonies;one count of unlawful possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, a Class 1 felony;one count of gun running, a Class 1 felony;one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, a Class 2 felony;three counts of unlawful delivery of 30-500 grams of cannabis, Class 3 felonies;four counts of unlawful delivery of a firearm, Class 4 felonies;four counts of unlawful delivery and sale of a firearm, Class 4 felonies;one count of unlawful possession of 30-500 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver, a Class 4 felonyfour counts of unlawful possession of a firearm without requisite Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, Class A misdemeanors.
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Able made his first appearance in custody Wednesday when Judge Scott Black heard arguments on whether he should be held in jail before the case goes to trial.
Assistant State’s Attorney David Fitt filed a petition to detain, arguing the defendant’s release would pose a danger to the community that couldn’t be mitigated by other measures.
Black noted 17 of Able’s offenses were detention-eligible.
In reading the probable cause statement, Fitt said Able’s arrest was part of an Illinois State Police Task Force Six investigation into drug and firearm sales in McLean County.
A confidential source reported buying cannabis from Able, using Snapchat to coordinate the transactions, on four separate days: May 20, May 28, June 2 and June 9.
On May 20, the source made arrangements to buy a quarter pound of cannabis for $300. They met in a Bloomington parking lot, and Able accepted the money and provided 121.2 grams, according to the probable cause.
During the second buy, Able directed the confidential source to go to an apartment. In the parking lot of the apartment complex, the source paid Able $200 for 122.4 grams of cannabis.
On June 2, the source arranged to buy 1 pound of cannabis and a firearm with ammunition. Able agreed to selling the cannabis for $1,200 and a loaded firearm for $1,000, the prosecutor said.
During this buy, Able invited the source into a Bloomington apartment, which was captured on video surveillance.
The source obtained a loaded AR-15 rifle and about 450 grams of cannabis from the defendant.
The source reported seeing a firearm with a defaced serial number while inside the apartment, Fitt said.
On June 3, the source saw a post Able had made June 2 on his Facebook story, which is only available for 24 hours. In the post, Able fanned large amounts of cash. Several of the bills’ serial numbers matched the serial numbers of the money the source had used to purchase the cannabis and firearm, the prosecutor said.
On June 9, the source went to the Bloomington apartment and bought three loaded firearms from Able for $2,500 and some cannabis edibles, Fitt said.
At 1:29 p.m. June 9, the source was observed on video surveillance leaving the apartment after about seven minutes inside with the defendant.
The source told police he saw two additional handguns in a small safe on the kitchen counter. Based on this observation, police were able to obtain a search warrant for the residence.
During the search, officers found cannabis in the safe, weighing about 129.1 grams, as well as packaging materials and a digital scale in the kitchen.
Police also found multiple firearms in the residence, Fitt said, including a Glock with a switch device that enables the weapon to be fired like an automatic machine gun.
Officers also found $160 of the cash used in the drug transactions with the confidential source, $2,500 from the last firearm purchase, and an additional $778 in suspected drug proceeds.
Able denied conducting any illegal activity, but a witness told police she had seen Able selling cannabis and firearms, conducting his business through social media messaging, Fitt said.
In arguing for his detention, Fitt noted Able is on pretrial release in a 2024 Tazewell County case. In that case, he is accused of being the driver in a vehicle where police found a total of 201 grams of cannabis and a handgun located under the passenger seat, the prosecutor said.
Assistant Public Defender Matthew Koetters said the defendant had not missed any court dates for his pending Tazewell County case, which indicates he would show up to court if released. Koetters also said Able would comply with any court conditions.
Fitt argued even confining Able to his home would not stop him from participating in criminal activity since the new offenses were committed out of the Bloomington residence.
However, court records indicate Able’s home address is in Normal.
Black agreed with the prosecutor and found no conditions would mitigate the risk Able poses. He ordered the defendant be detained.
An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 27.
Contact Kaitlyn Klepec at (309) 820-3345.
“}]] A 20-year-old has been detained facing 22 felony offenses involving selling cannabis, firearms and ammunition to a confidential police source. Read More
