A Chicago man swept up in a Bellevue apartment drug raid that turned up more than $45,000 in narcotics has now given up his right to fight a chunk of the case at trial. Steven Austin Jr. pleaded no contest Tuesday to eight felony counts tied to the bust, which grew out of a search warrant executed Oct. 1, 2025, court records show. The plea resolves part of a 19-count complaint and leaves Austin facing significant prison time when he is sentenced Aug. 24, 2026, in Brown County Circuit Court.
Plea deal and next court date
Austin entered no contest pleas to eight counts, including three counts of delivering cocaine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, amphetamine and cocaine, and two counts of felony bail jumping. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss 11 other counts as part of the deal, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Under the agreement, the judge set sentencing for Aug. 24, 2026.
What the complaint says Austin told investigators
The criminal complaint says Austin denied being a cocaine user and told investigators he had "no explanation for the large amount of cocaine found," adding, "it's not my apartment." The complaint also says he claimed ownership of amphetamine-laced pills discovered in a jacket and that three controlled buys for $85 each in July 2025 tied him to street-level sales.
Seizure totals and estimated value
Investigators who served the Oct. 1, 2025, search warrant reported seizing 33.59 grams of amphetamine, 155.11 grams of cocaine, 34.98 grams of cocaine base, 128.90 grams of fentanyl, 134.81 grams of marijuana and $9,458 in cash. They estimated the value of the cocaine, fentanyl, cocaine base and amphetamine at roughly $46,241, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Authorities characterized the amounts as distribution-level quantities rather than personal-use stashes.
Co-defendant and regional context
The apartment's owner, Jaylene Edwards, was charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place along with several misdemeanor counts. Court paperwork lists her trial start date as July 22. The Brown County Drug Task Force handled the investigation and has been linked to multiple large fentanyl and cocaine prosecutions in the Green Bay area this year, according to regional reporting by WBAY.
Legal note
Documents filed in the case calculate that Austin faces a theoretical exposure of roughly 88.5 years if he were convicted on every count. Actual time under the plea will follow state sentencing guidelines and the judge's discretion. As with any active prosecution, the counts against Edwards remain allegations unless proven at trial, and Austin's final punishment will be decided at his August sentencing hearing.
