A man in Illinois was recently arrested after police said he possessed drugs and was connected to life-threatening overdoses. The man’s arrest stemmed from an investigation involving a drug task force and police. Reportedly, the man facing drug charges is 38 years old.
The arrest occurred shortly before noon on a Wednesday morning. According to police, the man was selling hydrocodone pills and crack cocaine. Police said the drugs he sold appeared to have led to overdoses in those who used them on the previous Tuesday evening.
Authorities said they had to use Narcan to save the life of one victim. Meanwhile, paramedics revived the other victim. Both of these individuals were hospitalized. The accused currently faces charges of delivering drugs (two counts) and possessing drugs with the intent of delivering them, including intending to deliver between 15 and 100 grams of crack cocaine.
The man may choose to go to trial to fight the drug charges. At trial, a conviction cannot be secured unless the prosecution proves each and every element of the charges in court and beyond a reasonable doubt — a stringent burden that can be challenging to meet. Depending on the weight of the prosecution’s evidence, it may make sense in some circumstances to attempt to negotiate a plea agreement instead of going to trial. Doing so could result in a plea deal whereby the defendant acknowledges guilt to a reduced charge in exchange for favorable sentencing considerations. Each criminal proceeding is different, and a savvy defense team could make all the difference.
Source: jg-tc.com, “Man faces drug charges regarding overdoses“, Nov. 28, 2017