In St. Louis, a mother and son were sentenced on December 5th, in federal court to long prison terms for roles in a heroin ring linked to two deaths. Deborah Perkins and Douglas Oliver also had a connection to a St. Clair County courthouse drug scandal that included guilty pleas from a judge and probation officer. Perkins and Oliver bough heroin in Chicago and sold it from their home they share together in Fairview Heights. Deborah Perkins was sentenced to serve 30 years and her son Douglas is set to serve 27 years. They admitted they had roles in a nine-year conspiracy that involved Sean McGilvery. While pleading in his own federal drug case he said he had supplied heroin to then- Saint Clair County Judge Michael Cook, on “an almost daily basis.”

Douglas Oliver acknowledged supplying heroin to Jessica Williams, 30, and Jennifer Herling, 20, shortly after their deaths at the house in 2012. The body of Williams, who died in March, was dumped in Washington Park. Herling died about 6 months later, at a hospital. Relatives of these women wore T-shirts bearing the word “Justice.” As for the families, justice has been served for their lost loved ones. There is still no court date or hearing set up for the Judge and Probation Officer’s pending charges and link to the heroin ring.

In this day and age, drugs are more easily accessible to individuals and what happens a lot of the time is, people are trying the drug and not realizing the later consequences it will serve in their life. To find out information on how to get help and turn your unhealthy life around, please visit: www.seabrook.org.