People v. Reeves

Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided July 6, 2026·No. 4-25-1171·Unpublished

Opinion

NOTICE 2026 IL App (4th) 251171-U This Order was filed under FILED Supreme Court Rule 23 and is NO. 4-25-1171 July 6, 2026 not precedent except in the Carla Bender limited circumstances allowed 4th District Appellate IN THE APPELLATE COURT Court, IL under Rule 23(e)(1).

OF ILLINOIS

FOURTH DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the Plaintiff-Appellant, ) Circuit Court of v. ) Stephenson County RAHMEIR REEVES, ) No. 19CF254 Defendant-Appellee. ) ) Honorable ) Glenn R. Schorsch, ) Judge Presiding.

JUSTICE VANCIL delivered the judgment of the court. Justices Knecht and Grischow concurred in the judgment.

ORDER

¶1 Held: The appellate court reversed and remanded for further proceedings, finding that defendant was not seized by a police officer when the officer parked his squad car behind defendant’s vehicle in a way that did not interfere with defendant’s exit and displayed no other coercive behavior that would have indicated that defendant was not permitted to terminate the encounter.

¶2 Defendant, Rahmeir Reeves, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse

(720 ILCS 5/11-1.60(d) (West 2018)). He filed a pretrial motion to suppress evidence, arguing that

the evidence was obtained pursuant to an unlawful seizure. The trial court granted the motion, and

the State appealed.

¶3 We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

¶4 I. BACKGROUND

¶5 On November 14, 2019, defendant was charged by information with aggravated

criminal sexual abuse (id.) for committing an act of sexual penetration with L.S., a person over the age of 13 but under the age of 17, in that defendant was at least five years older than L.S. and

allegedly placed his penis in her vagina.

¶6 Defendant was also charged in federal court with production of child pornography

(18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) (2018)), possession of child pornography (id. § 2252A(a)(5)(B)), and

traveling for the purpose of sex with a minor (id. § 2423(b)). All of these charges were based on

information that was obtained during the same encounter with L.S. that gave rise to defendant’s

state charge. See United States v. Reeves, No. 21-CR-50027, 2025 WL 71834, at *1 (N.D. Ill. Jan.

10, 2025). Defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence in the federal case, which was granted.

Id. at 11.

¶7 On April 7, 2025, defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence in his state case,

arguing that the evidence was obtained as the result of an unlawful seizure. He alleged that on the

night he was arrested, his vehicle was “blocked in and detained” by Officer Matthew Anderson,

who later transported him to the police station for questioning. Based on statements defendant

made during questioning, his phone was seized and was later searched pursuant to a warrant. This

search revealed alleged child pornography. Defendant argued that Anderson had detained him

without legal justification when he parked his squad car in a way that blocked defendant’s vehicle

and shone a spotlight and flashlight onto the car. Defendant’s motion also stated that the “exact

case and motion” had already been litigated in the United States District Court for the Northern

District of Illinois and had been granted. He asserted:

“Given that a Federal District Court Judge applied the Fourth Amendment [(U.S.

Const., amend. IV)] protections to this exact case and ultimately suppressed not

only the illegal stop and its content, but also all fruits of the subsequent

investigation, it would stand that [the trial court] is mandated to follow suit.”

-2- ¶8 A hearing was held on defendant’s motion on July 2, 2025. Officer Anderson

testified that, on October 12, 2019, at around 1 a.m., he observed a vehicle parked on Fairway

Drive, a dead-end road that ran from east to west. At the end of Fairway Drive, there was a short

bump-out of pavement, or an “apron,” which Anderson described as “the beginnings of a second

street.” The vehicle was parked on this apron, facing north, out toward an unpaved field. The photo

below, entered as State’s exhibit No. 5, depicts the relevant section of Fairway Drive and the

State’s approximation of the locations of defendant’s vehicle (the clear rectangle in the center of

the image) and Anderson’s vehicle (the white, red, and blue rectangle to the right of defendant’s

car).

¶9 Due to the late hour, the secluded area in which the car was parked, and the car’s

out-of-state plates, Anderson’s suspicions were raised. He parked his squad car and approached

the vehicle. He stated that he did not park his car directly behind the vehicle on the apron itself.

Rather, he parked approximately one and a half cars’ lengths away, behind the vehicle and to the

-3- side, on the curb of Fairway Drive. He was parked at an angle to the vehicle, and his car’s

headlights partially illuminated it. He also angled his squad car’s spotlight toward the car’s rear

window. As he approached the car, he used his flashlight.

¶ 10 Anderson stated that when he was a few feet away from the vehicle, the rear driver’s

side door cracked open. He grabbed the door and opened it fully and saw defendant and L.S. in

the back seat of the vehicle. They both were naked from the waist down.

¶ 11 A recording from Anderson’s body-worn camera was admitted into evidence. In

the recording, Anderson is seen parking his squad car and walking toward the vehicle parked on

the apron. After the door of the vehicle opens, Anderson greets the occupants and asks if they have

identification with them and to whom the vehicle belongs. Defendant answers, “Mine. Just came

from Jersey.” Anderson replies, “Ok. Do you want to get your clothes on?” Defendant and L.S.

get dressed, while Anderson keeps his flashlight fixed on the car’s interior. At one point, defendant

tells Anderson, “My shoes are up there,” indicating the front seat. Anderson replies, “That’s fine,

yep, come out.” Defendant exits the car and retrieves his shoes from the front seat while Anderson

states, “You said you do or don’t have an [identification card (ID)]?” Defendant hands his ID to

Anderson and tells him that the car is a rental car. He states that he is on vacation from New Jersey,

visiting “[his] girl,” indicating L.S. Anderson and defendant both laugh. Anderson asks L.S. for

ID, and she states that she does not have it with her. Anderson directs her to come to where he and

defendant are standing once she finishes getting dressed.

¶ 12 Anderson radios in defendant’s information. L.S. walks over, and Anderson asks

for her first and last name, which she provides. When Anderson asks for her birthday, she gives

him a date that would make her 19 years old. Verbally, she states that she is 18. She also provides

Anderson her address when he asks.

-4- ¶ 13 Anderson receives information through his radio and addresses defendant, asking,

“Your license is suspended, are you aware of that?” Defendant confirms that his license was

suspended because he had unpaid charges on various tickets. At this point, a second officer can be

heard announcing himself as he approaches. Anderson asks how defendant and L.S. met since they

are from different states. They tell him that they met online and were “Facebook friends.”

Anderson chuckles and says, “All right.” He returns to his squad car and attempts to run L.S.’s

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People v. Reeves, (Ill. Ct. App. 2026).

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