KANKAKEE, Ill. — A routine traffic stop in Kankakee led to a drug arrest after a man was pulled over for not having a front bumper license plate on his vehicle.
According to Kankakee Police, the traffic stop took place on Tuesday evening in the one hundred block of North Evergreen. Before officers pulled over the vehicle, the male driver exited the car and discarded something near some trash cans before fleeing the scene. The officers chased down the man and found multiple plastic baggies containing a rock-like substance near the garbage cans.
The field test conducted on the substance turned up positive for cocaine.
The front license plate requirement in Illinois serves a vital role in keeping communities safe and aiding law enforcement in criminal investigations. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office requires a front license plate to help law enforcement identify vehicles involved in hit-and-run accidents, Amber Alerts, and other criminal activity. It also serves a safety purpose, as the front bumper is designed to absorb the impact of a collision, and a license plate can help prevent damage to the vehicle’s body by absorbing some of that force.
Many other states, including California, Texas, and New York, have similar mandates. In fact, the majority of U.S. states require a front license plate, with only 19 states not requiring one.
Jason L. Wilson, 43, of Kankakee was arrested on an outstanding warrant and charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. He’s being held on $500,000 bond at the Jerome Combs Detention Center.
