On September 5, 2003, Tommy Payne was again found not guilty in a Cook County Court. After two days of testimony, Judge Marjorie C. Laws acquitted Mr. Payne for drug charges stemming from a search warrant executed by the Chicago Police Department in August of 2002.
Judge Laws stated that the chain of custody surrounding the seized evidence was suspect. She also stated that there was no reliable evidence showing that Mr. Payne lived or was in control of the area that was searched by the police.
After the Judge's ruling, Mr. Payne was elated that all of these charges were now behind him. Regarding Mr. Petro, Mr. Payne stated that he "fought hard and the truth came out."
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