‘Innocent curiosity’ seals defendant’s fate over drug package

Prosecution and Procedure

By David J. Robinson

David J. Robinson is a lawyer, adjunct professor, author and 4th District deputy director at the state’s attorneys appellate prosecutor.

Posted April 10, 2018 1:36 PM

In October 2011, the 4th District Appellate Court held that the 55-minute detention from the scheduled delivery of a suspicious parcel was not an unreasonable seizure.The appellate court further held in People v. Tyus, 2011 IL App (4th) 100168, that although the defendant did not actually retrieve the package — which was addressed to what turned out to be a fictional person — probable cause existed to detain him and search his vehicle where he left a note on the door of an abandoned house, indicating that he …

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