A judge sentenced a Prairie Grove man to 13 years in prison for possessing 32 pounds of cannabis and child sexual abuse material in Wonder Lake, prosecutors said.
Christopher J. Marks, 31, of Prairie Grove, pleaded guilty last week to one count of manufacture or delivery of cannabis over 5,000 grams, a Class X felony, and one count of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt sentenced Marks to a combined 13 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) pursuant to a negotiated plea deal.
Prosecutors said that the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force received a tip about Marks selling cannabis and MDMA through social media.
Members of the task force executed a search warrant at Marks’ home in Wonder Lake on November 30, 2021.
Marks was in a bedroom and was taken into custody by officers.
Prosecutors said task force officers located more than 14,507 grams of cannabis and related products, 39 grams of mushrooms, 28 grams of MDMA, three grams of cocaine and 137 tabs of LSD.
Officers also found $5,166 in cash, a pistol, multiple cell phones and drug sales and distribution material.
Marks told officers he was the only one who lived at the residence and his only source of income was doing odd jobs for friends, prosecutors said.
A search warrant obtained for Marks’ electronic devices showed he was in possession of multiple images of child pornography on hard drives and cell phones, prosecutors said.
Marks was sentenced to 10 years on the drug charge and three years for the child pornography charge with the sentences to be served consecutively.
He will be placed on a mandatory supervised release term of between three years to natural life. He will also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said she commends the members of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force on “their diligent and effective investigative efforts in combatting illegal drug sales and distribution in our county.”