A 38-year-old Markham man will appear in a Bridgeview courtroom Wednesday morning to face felony drug possession and fleeing charges stemming from an incident in which he led Orland Park police on a chase and ended up being apprehended in a nearby pond, police said.
Deandre Walton, of 3509 Magnolia Dr., Markham, was charged with possession of cannabis with intent to deliver (2,000-5,000 grams) – a Class 1 felony and aggravated fleeing an eluding – a Class 4 felony, police said. Police said he was additionally charged with resisting arrest and multiple traffic violations.
Police were conducting a narcotics investigation in the 14100 block of John Humphrey Drive when they learned a tenant in the building had recently been evicted and that a large quantity of cannabis was located inside the residence.
While officers were on the scene, they observed the former resident (Walton) drive past the location. A traffic stop was attempted on the vehicle, which had expired registration, police said.
Police said Walton fled at a high rate of speed, traveling off the roadway several times and into several residential yards before eluding officers. Officers continued their investigation and learned that Walton had ties to a nearby residence.
Surveillance was established at that location and about 7:30 p.m. officers observed Walton being dropped off in the 8900 block of Riviera Parkway, police said.
Walton fled on foot into a nearby pond and marshy area near Schussler Park. Officers set up a perimeter and deployed the department’s drone, which located Walton hiding in dense brush near the pond. Realtime location information provided by drone operators allowed officers to safely take Walton into custody without further incident.
Orland Park is a regional leader in drone technology, often assisting neighboring jurisdictions with their aerial units to locate fugitives or missing persons in difficult terrain.