Collinsville Man Sues Over Police Seizure Of Cash

Ronald Schweppe says in a suit that the Collinsville Police Department
took $13,290 from him without cause in a routine traffic stop last
month.

The department says it has the money, but it won't talk about why
Schweppe can't have it back.

Madison County Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn granted Schweppe, of
Collinsville, a temporary restraining order Friday, instructing the
department that Schweppe's money cannot be "transferred or encumbered
in any way" before a hearing set for Tuesday.

Schweppe was a passenger in a vehicle stopped Oct. 12 by Collinsville
police officer Todd Link. The suit says Link searched Schweppe without
his permission or probable cause, then seized Schweppe's money without
issuing any charges against him.

Collinsville Sgt. David Roth said Friday that he could not provide any
details about Schweppe's case because it was a pending federal
forfeiture that would be handled by the U.S. attorney's office. Roth
confirmed that no charges have been filed against Schweppe.

Schweppe's attorney, Joseph Brown Jr., declined to say why his client
had that amount of money with him.

"The purpose of this action is to get everything out in the open so
that if it is appropriate that this money was seized, we can address
that, and if not, we can have the money returned," Brown said.