Crime & Safety
Alleged La Grange Prostitute-Drug House Still Draws Police Calls: Records
Seven people were arrested in an October raid, police said. But documents show that officers are regularly called to the house.
LA GRANGE, IL – Even after an October raid, La Grange police are still routinely called to a house in the 800 block of South Catherine Avenue, records show.
This is the house where police allege drug parties and prostitution took place. Seven people were arrested there in the Oct. 27 raid; a total of 11 were in the house, police said.
Through a public records request, Patch obtained a list of calls to the house from the date of the raid until the end of the year.
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Police have responded to 18 calls related to the house in that time.
In a statement to Patch on Thursday, Village Manager Jack Knight said the police continue to provide "special watches" of the property, which the village's records indicate. And he said the Cook County Sheriff's Office's eviction unit has also been involved in the situation.
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Of the 18 calls, a third were for suspicious cars. Others were labeled as suspicious incidents, a suspicious person, an animal complaint, loud noise complaints, assistance to the fire department and other agencies, help for a citizen and a check on a person's well-being.
According to the list, none of the incidents rose to the level of written reports.
Patch left a message for comment with the village.
Among those arrested in October were Paul Nutting, 52, who is believed to have lived in the house for two decades. He was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.
In an interview, Nutting told officers that he lets his friends stay at his house, though he doesn't know all of them well, police said. He said he made a lot of money by selling a business.
Nutting also said he likes to party and that he smokes cocaine and drinks most days, according to a police report.
He said he buys cocaine for $500 to $1,000 at a time for personal consumption, not dealing, police said. He denied knowing about fentanyl in the house.
Patch wrote about the details of the raid in a December story.
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