Joliet Police Follow the Nose of K9 Dog to Cocaine Bust

A 23-year-old Joliet woman is facing four criminal charges, including possession of crack cocaine, after Joliet police called on a K9 dog to sniff out the evidence against her early Monday morning, according to Cmdr. Al Roechner.

Tiala K. Hughes, 23, of 458 Winston, Joliet, was arrested at 1:11 a.m. Monday after officers observed the maroon vehicle she was driving roll through a stop sign at Oneida and South Center, Roechner said. She was found to be in possession of .6 grams of crack cocaine, taken into custody and transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, Roechner said.

"When the officers pulled her over, they noticed she and the front-seat passenger were making movements toward the floorboard of the vehicle," Roechner said. "They also noticed she appeared nervous."

Roechner said officers—one of them with the K9 unit—discovered Hughes did not have a valid driver's license. They asked her what she was doing and if it was OK to have the K9 dog go around the vehicle, he said.

"The K9 alerted officers to where her hands were and a place inside the vehicle on the driver's side floorboard," Roechner said. "They searched and found .6 grams of cocaine."

Roechner said Hughes also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia—a crack pipe—and cited for no valid driver's license and disobeying the stop sign. The male passenger in her vehicle was not charged with any wrongdoings, he said.