A local man was sent to prison after police said he showed up to the courthouse for a hearing with his probation officer while in possession of methamphetamine and fake urine.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the courthouse shortly before 2:40 p.m. Thursday after Chad A. Crank, 43, of Columbia, had arrived to meet with his probation officer when probation personnel discovered narcotics on his person.

Crank was immediately taken into custody by responding deputies.

A search revealed Crank was in possession of 19 colored capsules containing a substance suspected to be methamphetamine. Additionally, concealed on his person was a container of synthetic urine, believed to be intended for defrauding a court-ordered drug screening.

Crank was transported to the Monroe County Jail, where he was held pending further investigation. He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and defrauding a drug/alcohol screening test.

Crank was sentenced on Tuesday to two years and six months in the Illinois Department of Corrections, to be served at 50 percent, on a probation violation stemming from an original conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

“While all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department would like to emphasize that bringing illegal drugs or items intended to defeat drug testing – such as synthetic urine – into the courthouse or probation office is a serious offense,” the MCSD stated in a news release. “Such actions will result in immediate consequences, including arrest and prosecution.”