A downtown Quincy business owner is sitting in the Adams County Jail after state police hit multiple homes and a Maine Street storefront in a coordinated drug raid this week. Investigators say the operation stretched from residential blocks to a retail shop on Maine Street, where officers report finding a substantial cache of illegal drugs. The bust, paired with a judge’s decision to deny pretrial release, has left some downtown residents and business owners on edge.
Police say raids uncovered large stash of drugs
Illinois State Police say the West Central Illinois Task Force executed four search warrants at once, hitting two homes on Zellerman Avenue, a residence on Lyter Road and a business in the 600 block of Maine Street. Officers report seizing more than 20 pounds of black-market cannabis, over 80 grams of cocaine and more than 200 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, along with ammunition and a large amount of cash. ISP identified 25-year-old Jaret T. Shear and 21-year-old Israel N. L. Gordon as the two people taken into custody and said both were transported to the Adams County Jail. According to state police, Shear faces charges of Cannabis Delivery More Than 5,000 grams, Cannabis Production 50–200 Plants, Possession of Cocaine and possession of psilocybin mushrooms, as detailed by the Illinois State Police.
Judge denies pretrial release
During Shear’s initial appearance at the Adams County Courthouse, Judge Josh Jones denied him pretrial release, telling the courtroom he “struggled to recall many instances of a cannabis seizure of this magnitude” in his 25 years as a prosecutor and judge. Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Tim Bass argued there was “clear and convincing evidence for a detainable offense,” and local reporting notes that a package containing additional drugs was delivered to Shear’s address while officers were already serving a search warrant there. Court records show Shear is scheduled to return to Courtroom 1A on Friday at 8:30 a.m., and he remains held at the Adams County Jail, as reported by Muddy River News.
Shop at center of investigation
State police say the downtown business searched in the raid was The KB Co. in the 600 block of Maine Street. The broader sweep also focused on the 1500 block of Zellerman Avenue and the 5300 block of Lyter Road. According to the agency, the West Central Illinois Task Force was assisted in the operation by ISP Troop 6 and the Illinois Department of Revenue, according to the Illinois State Police.
Charges, penalties and what comes next
Shear is facing a Class X felony count for possession with intent to deliver more than 5,000 grams of cannabis, a Class 2 felony for producing 50 to 200 cannabis plants, and two Class 4 felony counts tied to possession of controlled substances. All of those charges carry potential prison time and significant fines under Illinois law. Local reporting lays out the possible sentencing ranges, including six to 30 years in prison for a Class X felony and fines that can reach $200,000, and notes that Shear previously pleaded guilty in July 2023 to possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court, and the case is slated to return to Adams County Court for additional proceedings, as outlined by Muddy River News.
