Defendant Claims Mistaken Identity

A Fairbury woman a facing felony drug charge insists the county has arrested the wrong person and that there is another woman with the same name who should be charged instead.Heather Castro, age 49, appeared in Jefferson County Court the morning of Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in the custody of the sheriff's office. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge.Castro is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony punishable by up to two years in prison, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine, and possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction that carries a $100 fine.There is no affidavit in the court file.The defendant failed to appear for a hearing scheduled for December 18, 2024, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was placed into custody on January 23, 2025. A bond was set at $5,000 (10 percent).Castro is represented by Public Defender Scott Gropp, who advised the court he had recently received information from his client and asked for a continuance for time to review it. Griopp did not elaborate on the nature of the new information but did indicate it related to his client's claim that there is another person named Heather Castro that law enforcement should be looking for.Judge Bauer granted the continuance without objection from Jefferson County Attorney Joseph Casson.Gropp then asked for a bond review. Casson said he did not object to some reduction but opposed a PR (Personal Recognizance) bond.Judge Bauer noted the current bond was “already at a misdemeanor level and declined to reduce it any further.Another hearing is scheduled for March 12.

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