PROSECUTOR CHARGED WITH DRUG POSSESSION

A Cook County state's attorney was ordered held in lieu of $3,000
bail on drug charges Wednesday after Chicago police allegedly found
crystal methamphetamine in his North Side apartment this week.

John Joseph Edwards III, 33, was arrested after police allegedly
found the drugs during a well-being check Tuesday at his apartment in
the 1300 block of West George Street. Officers entered the residence
and found the drugs in plastic bags on a table, according to a police report.

Edwards, who has worked juvenile cases for the office, appeared at
the Criminal Courts Building before Judge Raymond Myles. He was
ordered to reappear in court later this month.

He is charged with possession of a controlled substance and
possession of drug paraphernalia. He could face up to 3 years in
prison if he is convicted.

"John Edwards has been an ASA since 1998 and most recently has been
working in the Juvenile Justice Bureau," said John Gorman, spokesman
for Cook County State's Atty. Richard Devine. "This is considered a
very serious charge. He has been suspended and the case turned over
to the Illinois attorney general's office."

The lawyer who appeared in court for Edwards, Thomas Needham, said
the charges run counter to what Edwards' friends and family know of him.

"He seems to be a very highly regarded young man," Needham said. "The
allegations are certainly very inconsistent with his reputation and
everything I'm hearing about him."

Needham said some of Edwards' colleagues have been in contact with
him since he took on the case.

"From what they tell me he is a smart, hardworking and talented
person," Needham said.

About 2.4 grams of drugs were found, according to the police report,
and they had an estimated street value of $792. After police entered
the apartment, Edwards allegedly spoke with officers and admitted the
drugs were his, the report states.

"He is not accused of selling it," Needham said. "He's not accused of
driving around in a vehicle with it."

Needham said members of Edwards' family were expected to bail him out
of the Cook County Jail.