A Johnsburg man has been sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty in the fentanyl-laced heroin overdose death of a McHenry man, prosecutors said.
Timothy R. Colby, 44, of the 1500 block of West May Avenue in Johnsburg, was originally charged with three counts of drug-induced homicide and three counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge sentenced Colby to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drug-induced homicide. He will also be required to pay $624 in court fees.
Shawn A. Akerman, 43, of McHenry, was found on July 10, 2018 suffering from an overdose in the 3100 block of Lincoln Road in McHenry. Paramedics pronounced Akerman dead at the scene and autopsy results showed he had overdosed on a combination of heroin and fentanyl.
Police found evidence showing that Colby and another man, Christopher L. Birong, 46, of Woodstock, sold the drugs to Akerman that attributed to his death. Colby and Birong also both admitted to detectives to delivering the heroin, prosecutors said.
In April, Birong was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to drug-induced homicide.
“The McHenry Police Department is actively involved in combating the opioid crisis that is affecting our County, State and Nation. The McHenry Police wants everyone to know that all those who engage in the illegal delivery of controlled substances will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” McHenry Police Chief John Birk said.
The case was investigated by members of the McHenry Police Department and prosecuted by Brian Miller of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.