CHICAGO — A 29-year-old man from the South Loop is facing serious drug-related charges after Chicago police allegedly found heroin and other narcotics in his car — just weeks after a civil jury found him responsible for a woman’s fatal overdose.
Arrest in Portage Park Follows Overdose Verdict
On the evening of June 24, officers patrolling near the 4800 block of West Irving Park Road in Portage Park noticed a 2019 Hyundai Elantra parked with its lights on and engine running. Inside, they found Charles Rix slumped in the driver’s seat, drooling and unresponsive, according to a police report.
Officers shifted the car into park after realizing it was still in drive with Rix’s foot on the brake. Upon further inspection, police said they noticed a suspected Xanax pill near the gear shifter. A search of the car revealed a coin purse in the door containing Rix’s ID and several individually packaged baggies of suspected white and brown heroin, as well as Xanax and Adderall, all packaged for sale.
Authorities estimated the heroin weighed 16 grams, with a street value of $2,400. Police also recovered two crack pipes inside the vehicle.
Signs of Impairment, Field Sobriety Test Administered
Police described Rix as being in a “confused state,” sweating profusely, with glassy eyes, dilated pupils, and slurred speech. Though he denied using narcotics, he admitted to taking methadone every morning at 11 a.m. He allegedly failed several parts of a field sobriety test, including a balance check.
Rix now faces multiple charges, including:
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Manufacture and delivery of heroin
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Four counts of possession of a controlled substance
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DUI
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Possession of drug paraphernalia
Judge John Hock released Rix to await trial. This is his first criminal charge in Illinois, court records show.
Civil Lawsuit Background: Fatal Overdose of 21-Year-Old Woman
Just two weeks earlier, on June 9, Rix was found liable in a civil case tied to the 2022 death of 21-year-old Callen Griffin. The jury awarded Griffin’s estate $20,000 for emotional damages and loss of companionship.
Griffin’s mother alleged that Rix and a co-defendant repeatedly invited Griffin to their apartment, where they provided her with drugs — including the cocaine and fentanyl-laced joint that ultimately caused her death. According to the lawsuit, after she overdosed, the defendants moved her unresponsive body into the hallway rather than seeking immediate help.
Emergency responders attempted to revive Griffin on September 15, 2022, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. A previous overdose earlier that week had resulted in hospitalization, which she had survived.
Connection Between Recent Arrest and Civil Case
During the recent June arrest, officers also found pill bottles in Rix’s car with the name of his co-defendant from the civil lawsuit. The narcotics packaging allegedly matched the type found in the driver’s door — though the woman has not been charged with any crimes at this time.
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