Police: Tri Cities Teen Busted for Fake Weed

A 19-year-old St. Charles woman has become that city’s first person cited for possessing synthetic drugs, police confirmed earlier this month.

Joanna Rae Fecteau, of the 1200 block of Ronzheimer Avenue, was arrested on Jan. 31 for retail theft, according to . Employees at Meijer, 855 S. Randall Road, had detained Fecteau for allegedly walking out with $64.57 worth of items from the store—including makeup, granola bars and chips.

One officer who searched Fecteau’s purse during the arrest reportedly found a package of “White Rabbit,” which is a brand name of a substance marketed as potpourri but has been identified by law enforcement as . Police also reported finding a multi-colored glass pipe.

The instituted a ban in November on synthetic weed and other manmade drugs. It is now illegal to sell or possess these substances. in November.

Fecteau is charged with retail theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, both Class A misdemeanors.

Authorities also cited her for possession of synthetic marijuana, which is a city ordinance violation. 

Fecteau was booked and posted $150 bond. She was then taken into custody by Batavia police, who had an active warrant out for her arrest. To read more about what happened to Fecteau and the Batavia warrant, .

Patch reports on law enforcement activity in the Tri Cities, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member is charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation are subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Nick Swedberg and we will do follow-up reporting on the case. For questions, email nicks@patch.com.