Knox County Sheriff Deputies seized $25,000 worth of marijuana and hash from an unusual place, a four-foot tall teddy bear.Deputies were conducting a security check at the Galesburg Amtrak Station on Saturday and in the process were notified of an individual who had bought a one-way ticket to St. Louis.
Upon speaking with the individual, officers were granted permission to search the man’s bags, which included the abnormally large teddy bear.
The officers noticed a “strong odor” of suspected cannabis coming from the bear and while touching the toy’s legs they felt a “semi-hard substance.”
21-year old Hunter L. Parker of Cherokee, Iowa was placed under arrest.
Parker briefly fled on foot but was quickly apprehended and taken to the Knox County Jail.
Deputies would discover five packages of suspected cannabis weighing 5.6 pounds along with 92 grams of hash, with an estimated street value of $25,000.
Parker is being charged with escape, two counts of resisting arrest and manufacturing/delivering cannabis 2000-5000 grams.
Bond has been set at $75,000 by Judge Raymond Cavanaugh and Parker has been appointed a public defender.
