Chicago Heights Man Had Drugs, Fireworks in His Car: Police

A traffic stop for a burnt out rear plate light led to charges for a Chicago Heights drunken driver who had magic mushrooms in his car.

Thomas Gardner, 25, of the 200 block of Sherry Lane, Chicago Heights, was charged with driving under the influence, DUI with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08, possessing a controlled substance, possessing marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia and driving without a rear registration plate light, Homewood police said.


Gardner is accused of driving on Sept. 13 with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit while carrying baggies of psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana, police said.

Police stopped Gardner at about 1:19 a.m. in the 19100 block of Center Avenue for the traffic violation, according to a Homewood police report. A cop could smell an odor of alcohol on the driver's breath. Police said Gardner failed three tests for intoxication and was arrested.

Officers searched Gardner's car and found one baggie with dried brown and white mushrooms and a second baggie with a green, leafy substance. They also recovered a glass pipe, grinder and fireworks in the car's trunk. The mushrooms tested positive for the presence of psilocybin, a hallucinogen. A test of the leafy substance showed the presence of marijuana.

Gardner was transported to Markham court for a bond hearing.

Police report information is provided by the Homewood Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.