Officer Luke Tillman pulled over a driver on November 16, 2011
for failure to display registration. The driver, a 50-year-old woman from
Maryville, had a valid driver's license and no warrants. Tillman searched the car
and found up what he labeled a potential crack pipe.
The driver was arrested and later charged with possession of a
controlled substance. Those charges were issued by the Madison County State's
Attorney's Office based on a review of facts that included Officer Luke
Tillman's report.
In March 2012, the Madison County State's Attorney's Office was
notified by the woman's defense attorney that they had information indicating
the driver did, in fact, have a valid temporary registration affixed to her car
at the time of the stop. The defense attorney also inquired as to whether
Officer Tillman made a video and audio recording of the traffic stop.
Per procedure, all traffic stops made by Collinsville police are
audio and video recorded. If the end result of a traffic stop is a felony
charge, that video must be logged. Officer Luke Tillman did not mention anything about audio or video recording in his report. The state's attorney's office subsequently learned that Tillman did not ever log any evidence of the audio or video recording. Investigators also discovered that the driver did have a valid temporary registration affixed to her vehicle.
On March 13, 2012, the Madison County State's Attorney's Office dismissed the felony charge against the driver and began reviewing the actions of Officer Luke Tillman. Tillman was ultimately suspended by the Collinsville Police Department.
Tillman's bond was set at $10,000.
If convicted, Luke Tillman faces up to three years in prison for
each count.