POLICE: METH-FOR-BAIL PLOT FAILS

Ex-Cop Accused Of Involving Daughter In Money-Making Scheme To Pay Bond

LINCOLN -- A 24-year-old Lincoln woman was charged with trying to make
methamphetamine to raise bail for her mother, a former police officer
facing her own drug charges.

Authorities said Brianna Strohl's mother, Diana Short, 46, asked her
collect materials to make meth because Short needed to post another $7,500
to get out of jail. Short, who had been a Lincoln police officer until her
arrest, previously was accused of growing marijuana plants in her basement.

Strohl and Short both were charged Tuesday with several felony counts
related to making meth. Short now needs $25,000 to get out of jail, and
Strohl needs $10,000.

Short, an officer for 10 years, and her husband, John, were arrested in
December after state police found a room for growing marijuana in their
home, prosecutors said.

They were released on bond, but they returned to jail May 5 when Circuit
Judge Charles Feeney quadrupled their bond amounts. A grand jury had
indicted them on additional drug trafficking charges in April.

Short had already posted $2,500, but then needed a total of $10,000 after
the new charges were filed.

Inmates in the Logan County jail told authorities Short was asking various
people to help her manufacture and sell meth to raise her bond money,
prosecutors said in documents released Tuesday.

The state's attorney's office subsequently began monitoring her phone calls
from the jail, authorities said. Short had no reason to expect privacy
because a recorded warning announcing that calls can be monitored precedes
inmates' phone calls, prosecutors said.

Despite that, Short asked her daughter and others to collect
pseudoephedrine pills to manufacture the drug, prosecutors said. The
ingredient is common in over-the-counter cold medicines and is key to
making the illegal stimulant.

With help from an informant, Short was convinced a meth "cook" was at the
ready and all that was missing was the cold pills, prosecutors said.

Short used thinly veiled code words in the calls, prosecutors said. For
example, she told her daughter to gather as many as 2,000 "little white
things," prosecutors said.

She instructed her daughter to ask her friends to help buy the medicine and
make sure they only buy two boxes at each store so they stayed within the
legal limit, authorities said.

On July 27, Strohl told her mother "mission accomplished" and gave her the
address of a Lincoln home containing about 1,000 cold pills, according to
prosecutors. Illinois State Police officers were alerted and seized the pills.

Short was previously charged with unlawful manufacture of marijuana,
unlawful manufacture of marijuana with intent to deliver the drug and
unlawful production of marijuana plants. She also faces charges of official
misconduct accusing her of involvement with illegal drugs while serving as
a member of the Lincoln Police Department.

The charges added Tuesday were one count each of unlawful possession of
methamphetamine manufacturing chemicals and solicitation and two counts of
unlawful criminal drug conspiracy.

Short is expected to return to court on Thursday.

Strohl is charged with two counts of unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and
unlawful possession of methamphetamine manufacturing chemicals.