A Holiday Hills man has been charged with the drug-induced homicide of a 52-year-old man who overdosed on fentanyl and heroin in unincorporated McHenry.
Joel W. Tynis, 37, of the 1500 block of Catalpa Drive in Holiday Hills, was charged with three counts of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges that Tynis delivered a controlled substance to 52-year-old Scott A. Rzepka on January 5.
The substance, a combination of heroin and fentanyl, was ingested by Rzepka and caused his death, the complaint said.
Prosecutors said in a motion that multiple witnesses gave statements to police indicating Tynis sold drugs to Rzepka before his death, which occurred on January 6 in unincorporated McHenry.
The same witnesses told police that they had also purchased narcotics from Tynis on multiple occasions, the motion said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office found Tynis in possession of 77 individual bags of a powder substance, which weighed approximately 27 grams. The powder field-tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Police searched Tynis’ home and found packaging materials, a cannabis grow, scales and multiple bags of suspected fentanyl.
Tynis was initially only arrested and charged in early January with possessing and distributing the drugs that were seized by police.
On Thursday, prosecutors charged him with three counts of drug-induced homicide.
Tynis remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He would need to post $50,000 cash in order to be released.
Tynis is scheduled to appear in court again on April 8.