C'ville man hid drug contraband in his body

A Carpentersville man wanted on warrants elsewhere was arrested early Friday after police said he locked himself in a laundry washroom and attempted to hide a drug pipe in a creative location.

Alex Garcia, 28, of the 1600 block of Elgin Avenue, was charged with being a fugitive from justice, a felony, and misdemeanor trespassing after the incident about 1:48 a.m. in the 0-99 block of State Street.

Police responded to the business after a report of a man locking himself in the restroom and refusing to come out, Lt. Glenn Theriault said.

Police later removed the door from its hinges and found Garcia disposing of drug contraband, Theriault said.

Garcia was taken to Sherman Hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had hidden a crack pipe inside a body cavity and swallowed a plastic bag containing crack cocaine, Theriault said.

Garcia underwent a subsequent surgery, Theriault said.

The Carpentersville man was wanted on a $10,000 Hanover Park warrant for domestic battery and a no bond warrant out of Brevard County, Fla., for a probation violation stemming from a residential burglary, authorities said.

Garcia's next stop will be Florida, where authorities have said they want him back.

"We don't normally extradite from that far away unless it's really serious," Brevard County Lt. Todd Maddox said.