Ottawa, 3 Marseilles residents charged in 2023 drug busts

Felony charges have been filed against four La Salle County residents who police said sold narcotics to undercover agents, according to a Tuesday news release.

Robert L. Sims, 52, and Renee M. Taylor, 44, both of Marseilles, face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of multiple charges led by unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony.

Court records show a series of buy-bust operations conducted from September through December by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team. Police said Sims and Taylor delivered cocaine to Tri-DENT Agents on several occasions. Additionally, Sims and Taylor were stopped in a vehicle where agents located about 14 grams of purported cocaine.

Charges were filed Friday and Sims and Taylor were given notices to appear rather than being taken into custody – an increasingly common occurrence in felony cases since the SAFE-T Act eliminated cash bail.

Two more individuals face recently-filed charges for a Sept. 28 controlled buy of cocaine, according to police.

Rebecca Foster, 40, of Marseilles, and Katie E. Fought, 46, of Ottawa, were charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance a Class 2 felony carrying up to seven years in prison, for allegedly delivering cocaine to Tri-DENT agents.