Former Joliet police Officer William Busse III was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly distributing cocaine, methamphetamine and attempting to distribute fentanyl in the Chicago area.
The Homer Glen resident distributed cocaine and methamphetamine in Chicago in 2021, and attempted to distribute cocaine and fentanyl in Orland Park and Lockport that same year, according to an indictment returned last week in the U.S. District Court of Chicago.
Busse, 41, was charged with six counts of distribution and attempted distribution of controlled substances. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A jury found Busse guilty March 10, 2023, of four counts of domestic battery in New Lenox in 2019, but not guilty of pulling away from police while being placed in a squad car, according to court records. Busse’s attorney filed a motion for a new trial, which will be reviewed and decided by a Will County judge on Sept. 5 at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.
Busse was a patrol officer at the Joliet Police Department from 2013 until 2021, according to public affairs Sgt. Dwayne English.
English said is unsure why Busse left, but said there was a separation agreement with the department at the time Busse was facing domestic battery charges.
“I do know that it was an agreement, you know, it wasn’t a termination,” he said.
The federal investigation was carried out with assistance from the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force, a group made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that work together to identify and dismantle drug trafficking operations.
Busse could not be reached for comment.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
