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An Illinois judge whose colleague died of a cocaine overdose while the two were on a hunting trip together has been charged with possession of heroin and guns.

St. Clair County Circuit Judge Michael Cook pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis. KSDK reports he wore a t-shirt that read "Bad is my middle name" to today's hearing. Authorities say Cook and fellow judge Joe Christ were staying at the Cook family's hunting lodge in western Illinois' Pike County in March when Christ was found dead.

A coroner said Friday that Christ died of a cocaine overdose. Cook has not been charged in Christ's death.

Seven men, including an East St. Louis Police detective, face federal drug charges.

Prosecutors say Detective Orlando Ward was found with 11 pounds of cocaine earlier this week. Ward, along with six East St. Louis residence have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and weapons charges.

Investigators believe the men are part of drug trafficking ring. The bust had a street value of more than $1 million.

Chief Michael Floore will hold a news conference Friday to discuss the charges.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - lllinois law enforcement organizations say motorist safeguards in pending medical marijuana legislation are not strict enough as the measure heads for a Senate vote.

John Kennedy of Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police says police should be able to test blood and urine of motorists suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana.

The chiefs and the Illinois Sheriffs' Association say the legislation incorrectly states that federal officials have OK'd standard sobriety tests for cannabis influence. They say blood and urine tests are the only accurate measure.

The groups hand-delivered a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn Tuesday. The Associated Press was given a copy Wednesday in advance of its public release.

A Senate committee is scheduled to hear the issue later Wednesday.

 

(ABC NEWS) Chris Kelly, one half of the '90s rap duo Kris Kross, has died of a possible drug overdose, Georgia authorities said.

Kelly, 34, was pronounced dead Wednesday night at the Atlanta Medical Center, Clint Harbin, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, told ABC News Radio.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death and an autopsy is expected to be performed later today.

"It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose," said Cpl. Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police, according to The Associated Press.

Kelly (known as "Mac Daddy"), along with Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, the backward-pants-wearing mini-rappers, rose to fame with their song "Jump" from their 1992 album, "Totally Krossed Out."

"Jump" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for eight weeks.

Kelly and Smith were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri in an Atlanta mall. Kelly was 13 when "Totally Krossed Out" was released. The album went on to multiplatinum status thanks to "Jump," which remained a popular song throughout 1992.

They toured with Michael Jackson later that year during his "Dangerous World Tour."

Their gimmick of wearing clothes backward won over legions of fans and allowed the duo to cross over into mainstream success. They even went on to release their own video game titled "Kris Kross: Make My Video" for the Sega CD console.

They released "Da Bomb" in 1993, which failed to match the success of their prior album. One of the singles off the album, also titled "Da Bomb," featured female rapper Da Brat.

The group's last album, "Young, Rich & Dangerous," was released in 1996 and reached gold status.

Earlier this year, the group performed together in Atlanta to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dupri's label, So So Def.

"He actually was still working on music and recording," said Yahoo music writer Billy Johnson Jr., who interviewed Kelly in February.

"He said he had several hundred songs that he had recorded and he had mentioned that during his time away from releasing music that he had actually gone back to school to learn how to be a studio engineer," Johnson said, according to ABC News Radio.

Johnson also discussed questions about Kelly's health after pictures surfaced online with patches of his hair missing.

"I asked him about that and he said he had skin disease called alopecia and he said that those rumors had been very hurtful because people thought he had cancer and it wasn't true," Johnson said.

Rapper LL Cool J tweeted a link to his new song, "Jump on It," and dedicated it to Kelly.

"R.I.P Chris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family," he tweeted."

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Da Brat also both tweeted condolences overnight.

ABC News' Jason Nathanson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A sheriff says a woman who disappeared for four days with her 4-year-old daughter spent that time smoking synthetic pot with her ex-husband in a low-rent suburban Kansas City motel.

Authorities feared 28-year-old Rachel Koechner had been abducted, but Chariton County Sheriff Chris Hughes says she spent much of that time with her ex and their child in the motel. Koechner has not been charged.

A St. Louis man faces charges after police say they discovered a 22-month-old in the house where he had a meth lab.

28-year-old Anthony Brady allegedly operated the lab out of his home in the 8500 block of Minnesota. While searching his home, police say they found meth, as well as pseudoephedrine and other items used to make the drug. Authorities also believe the toddler living in the home was exposed to the lab, which contained hazardous and highly flammable chemicals.

COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) - A southeast Kansas man was sentenced to five years in prison for selling a drug that led to another man's overdose death.

Thirty-five-year-old David Tirrell of Scammon was sentenced Wednesday in Cherokee County for involuntary manslaughter. He pleaded guilty in January in the July 2012 death of 22-year-old Jordan Krokroskia, of Baxter Springs. He was initially charged with felony murder. The Joplin Globe reports (http://bit.ly/W5HCXC ) Krokroskia, a student at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, died of a drug overdose.

Tirrell admitted in January that he sold a Fentanyl patch to Krokroskia, who was found dead at his home. An autopsy showed he died from Fentanyl intoxication. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid roughly 100 times more powerful than morphine.