By Nick Vlahos - The Journal Star




During a traffic stop Sunday, law-enforcement authorities in McDonough County suspected a Pekin man might be possessing illicit drugs.

They were right, apparently. But they might not have suspected where the drugs were found.

Michael A. Levar, 47, retrieved a container of methamphetamine from his rectum, according to the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office. Levar was arrested.

Deputies stopped Levar about 3 a.m. at Davis and Main streets in Bushnell for speeding and improper lane usage. They observed items in the vehicle that were consistent with drug use. They also smelled burnt cannabis.

Levar was searched. A straw that contained meth residue was found, as was a glass pipe.

“He had dropped a pipe on the ground, and that led to a conversation about him having a syringe, and that led to a conversation about ‘Why are you standing funny?’” McDonough County Sheriff Nick Petitgout said Monday.

“The deputy noticed (Levar) was standing uncomfortably. His butt cheeks were clenched. The deputy said, ‘Is there anything else?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’”

The meth was found in a pink plastic, thumb-sized container known as a bullet, Petitgout said. Apparently, they are fairly common for concealing contraband in jails and prisons.

Petitgout wasn’t exactly sure where Levar retrieved his bullet.

“It’s a gross job some days,” the sheriff said.

Levar was accused of possession of fewer than 5 grams of meth, as well as possession of meth paraphernalia. He was being held in the McDonough County Jail in Macomb, on $3,000 bond.