Deputies halt marijuana deal in Godley

Grundy County deputies arrested three men over the weekend who were allegedly involved in a marijuana deal in Godley.

According to Grundy County Sheriff's Department records, before 9:50 p.m. Sunday, a deputy was on duty near the Stumble Inn, located at 201 S. Kankakee Street, when he observed a man at the driver's side window of a parked Silver Nissan. When the man saw the deputy, the man immediately walked to a vehicle parked nearby.

Shortly after, the deputy saw the driver of the Nissan exit and walked toward the Stumble Inn, leaving a passenger in the vehicle. In investigating the incident, the deputy noted that the two occupants of the Nissan, identified as Zachary R. Michaels, 25, of Braidwood, and Jeremy D. Caplinger, 22, of Chenoa, Ill., appeared to keep trying to separate from the vehicle, seemed nervous in answering questions and he smelled cannabis emitting from the vehicle.

During a search of Michaels, he was found to have $700 in cash in his pockets, and he told the deputy there was a one-fourth of a pound of marijuana in the vehicle. Deputies later found 117 grams of cannabis in a Walmart bag on the front passenger side floor and an additional $880 in cash in the Nissan, which belonged to Michaels.

An additional deputy and officer arrived and processed Caplinger and a man in another nearby vehicle, identified as Jonas D. Hardt, 20, of El Paso, Ill. When Hardt was asked to exit his vehicle, a deputy observed a clear plastic bag containing a substance that later tested positive for cannabis.

At the jail, Michaels told a deputy he was the one delivering cannabis to Caplinger and that $600 of the cash on the scene was from past drug deals.     

Caplinger and Michaels were charged with possession of cannabis between 30-500 grams with intent to deliver and were initially held without bond at the Grundy County jail.

Hardt was charged with possession of cannabis between 2.5-10 grams and was held on $150 bond.