Troy man facing child endangerment and drug charges after meth lab found (Illinois)
BY JAYNE MATTHEWS
News-Democrat
TROY - A rural Troy man's alleged beating of his girlfriend Monday led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab, marijuana and the club drug ecstasy in a house where two children live.
After the girlfriend of 35-year-old Ronald Seagraves told police she believed Seagraves was involved in illegal drug activity, deputies searched the house and found a meth lab, said Sgt. Gary Burns, spokesman for the Madison County Sheriff's Department.
Seagraves is on parole from a Missouri prison where he served time for previous drug crimes, according to the police search warrant application.
Deputies also called in the Illinois State Police regional drug unit.
Deputies arrested Seagraves, who was hiding in the woods behind the couple's house at 8555 Steele Lane. Circuit Judge Ann Callis on Tuesday set Seagraves' bail at $700,000 on eight separate felony charges.
"If it weren't for deputies at the scene being alert and going the extra mile, this would not have come out the way it did," Burns said.
Two of the charges against Seagraves are in Illinois' most serious felony category.
Other charges include felony child endangerment, because two children, ages 4 and 8, live in the home where Seagraves allegedly had a meth lab.
He could receive prison sentences totaling more than 60 years.
One of the most serious charges was that Seagraves used surveillance cameras to protect his meth lab. The anti-camera law was part of a meth law package passed by the Illinois General Assembly last year.
Seagraves faces a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery for allegedly beating Dawn Rowane with his fists.
Police also found about $5,600 cash, more than 15 ecstasy pills and a stash of marijuana large enough to charge Seagraves with felony possession with intent to sell, Burns said.
Contact Jayne Matthews at jmatthews@bnd.com or 345-7822 ext. 25.
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/14167540.htm
posted by Kim | 12:18 PM
16 Comments:
Though Ronald Seagraves was arrested and charged, Dawn Rowane, who the home is leased to has not. She has two children who reside in the home where the meth was being produced yet there have been no charges brought against her, not even child endangerment. Meth labs not only contaminate everything in site, they are know to explode. These children are still with her and are still in danger actions. The Father also lives in Troy IL. and has been begging the police, the courts and DCFS to put the children in his care until it is determined what is best for the children. Another surprise is the though the Belleville news Democrat felt this story was a front page headline last week, the Troy news paper didn't even mention the incident in the police blotter. I am aware that Troy is a booming small town with the intention of building hundreds of new homes to attract new residence but not addressing a meth lab in their community is not the way to portray the safe small town environment they are know for.
DCFS is now allowing the kids back into the meth lab home at 8555 Steele St. Troy, Il. before is was ever cleaned by a professional company as they agreed it would need to be. No one in the state of Illinois thinks this is a problem?
Another interesting fact that was discovered today, the Mayor of Troy Illinois is said to own part, the majority or all of the Troy Tribune Newspaper. I'm certainly not surprised about the fact the the paper hasn't even mentioned this meth lab in their police blotter now that I know about the Mayor's interest.
Another interesting fact is that Dawn Rowane's Father is a retired Illinois State Trooper who knows an awful lot of people in the Collinsville/Troy area. Again the surprise that she was not arrested when a meth lab was found in her house with her children residing there is gone. Every agency with authority in the state of Illinois has been made full aware of what is going on and to this point no one has stood up to protect these children.
Dear Anonymous:
You may wish to contact the congressman for Troy, Illinois or the Govenor: Illinois Governor Blagojevich.. if that doesn't work, go up the food chain to the Senate. Eventually, someone will have to pay attention and be accountable.
The Times-Tribune is privately owned and independent. No public official owns part or all of it.
The Illinois State Police handled this, so it wouldn't be in the Troy police blotter. This event happened after the newspaper's deadline, so it didn't get in that week. It did get in the following week. The newspaper doesn't publish the names/addresses of spouses/children of domestic violence like the other newspapers do. The sister-in-law of the woman in question is most likely the same author/"anonymous" who called the newspaper editor and tried to get them to do a story on this woman since she's in a custody battle with "anonymous'" brother. It's easy to see her motivation in attacking her ex-sister-in-law in this way, who, by the way, was not charged with anything and was the one to turn in this guy for the meth lab. No public official can do anything against a citizen who has not been charged with a crime. No credible newspaper would write a story based on the gossip of somebody's ex-sister-in-law just because she has an ax to grind or her own agenda.
If anonymous is truly concerned with the safety of these children, why does she keep posting the name of their mother and their address on the internet. Especially since anonymous is most likely these kids' aunt who is too cowardly to use her own name.
Sadly, the point is being missed here. She allowed this meth situation to exist around her children and there for, charges being made or not, she is wrong. I'd also like to add the the Times-Tribune took a biased angle to the article they wrote about this incident and also took a stab at the family of these children in a most stressful time in all of their lives.
The mother was a domestic violence victim. Could it be she was more scared of what would happen if she turned him in rather than the exposure to the drugs? Just a thought.
The hometown newspaper only refused to publish unsubstantiated allegations -- about anyone, especially since a custody battle is going on here over minor children. The paper only published the official report by the ISP. How about anonymous explaining her lies about who owns the paper and publishing these kids' address on the internet in this vindictive way?
Or could it be that the mother didn't know until she was beaten unconscious, called the police and watched as they pulled a drug pipe out of his pants?
Could it be she didn't know becuase she worked 6 days a week and was gone from 8-5 that it was happening when she wasn't there?
And that the reason she didn't smell anything was the same reason the neighbors didn't? That the guy was very careful and cautious abnout hiding his stuff?
Or that she wasn't arrested because she was the one who called the police and was the one who asked the police to search her house, and cooperated fully?
And that her kids weren't taken away becuase she did the right thing? And that they still are in her care becuase she is a good mom?
Could it possibly be?
Could it be that the mother didn't intend for the drugs to be found when the police were called but because the pipe was found, she began singing like a canary.
Could it be that the hours work is a piss poor excuse for not knowing what is happening in your home and what is happening to your children.
If the guy was so careful and cautious, then why was there drugs and drug related items all over the house?
Perhaps the cooperation was due to her turning on this guy to save herself.
I guess there are many different definitions and views as to what a good mother is, but having a meth lab in your home does not constitute as one of them.
Could it possibly be?
Again, why doesn't anonymous explain her lies about who owns the local paper, how they covered it and why she put these kid's names and address on the internet? How can you believe anything she says if she acts so viciously?
Could it be? Well, at least anonymous finally admits she doesn't know what went on that night, unlike all her previous allegations and outright lies about "what really happened".
Could it be??? There may be more to this story??? This woman had DCFS in her home due to the condition! (house was a disaster, cats everywhere, and horrible stench from cats. Which is probably why no one smelled anything.) With that said, the childrens biological father is in jail awaiting trial on four counts of sexual predatory assault on a child. The youngest child had a kidney transplant and both parents did not feel that the antirejection medications were not necessary and only gave him the meds when they felt like it. This resulted in his kidney being rejected. The children are now much older, but their lives are not much better. Just one more case that the state once again failed children!
daayyyymmm
o shit
Seriously? I can't believe people are still posting on this thing. Oh, but if it's on the internet it must be true right?
I'm the mother. I won't comment to their father as we have been separated/divorced since 2003, and it wasn't friendly (understatement). He (not the sister-in-law) is the person responsible for the original anonymous posting here and elsewhere in an attempt to hurt me. (Continuing success!)
I don't know for sure who posted the most recent anonymous "facts" in April, but I have my suspicions. Either way, you're a coward and a liar.
Be that as it may, the allegations against myself are ludicrous. You brave anonymous posters have NO proof to back up the lies posted here, because there is none. Do you honestly think either the state or medical authorities would leave my kids in such an environment?
So here you go... My kids are happy and healthy. I am not now, nor have I ever a drug user. DCFS has never been in my home due to "conditions". My next door neighbor is my landlord, I would have been evicted if that was the case. My son would have died if I had only given him his meds when I "felt like it". Educate yourself a little before you spew such idiocy.
This is 10 years old. Get a life.
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