A Wauconda man and convicted felon has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found with 11 pounds of marijuana, as well as peyote and nitrous oxide, in Lake in the Hills.
Sean E. Kalinoski, 36, of Wauconda, was charged in December with manufacturing or delivery of cannabis, manufacturing or delivery of peyote, possession of cannabis, possession of peyote, manufacturing or delivery of nitrous oxide and possession of a controlled substance.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Kalinoski was found in possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis and more than 200 grams of peyote, which is a cactus that contains the hallucinogen mescaline, on August 24, 2024, in Lake in the Hills.
The complaint said Kalinoski also possessed with the intent to deliver nitrous oxide for the purpose of causing intoxication and less than 15 grams of a substance containing heroin.
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Marin said 11 pounds of marijuana and almost half a pound of peyote were found in a bus and suitcase, the Northwest Herald reported.
Court documents said there was surveillance and cell data information linking Kalinoski to the drugs.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Kalinoski pending trial.
McHenry County Judge Carl Metz granted the petition during his initial court hearing and said that Kalinoski’s actions seemed to be escalating.
“The court finds that the defendant is a real and present threat given the dangerousness of drugs and the significant quantity the defendant posssessed there are no conditions to mitigate the defendant’s risk,” Metz said.
“House arrest or curfew would not mitigate the defendant’s risk given the defendant is mobile through his employment, he could still obtain and distribute substance at his home,” the judge added.
Kalinoski has two prior drug case convictions for manufacturing or delivering drugs.
One of those cases was in Lake County when he was residing in Vernon Hills in April 2021.
The Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (LCMEG), which is made up of dozens of police agencies, conducted a search warrant at Kalinoski’s residence in the 300 block of Meadow Court in Vernon Hills.
Officers seized 198 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, at least 1,000 perforated blotter paper squares of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and over 83 grams of ketamine.
Court records show he faced up to 30 years in prison in that case but was sentenced to 48 months of probation after pleading guilty to one count of manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony.
Prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation after he failed to comply with the terms.
Court records show Kalinoski at the time of his latest arrest was on pre-trial release for a Wauconda arrest from September 23, 2024, where he battered and assaulted a police officer.
He has since pleaded guilty in that case in July and been sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Kalinoski also entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office last week for the Lake in the Hills case.
He pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing or delivery of cannabis over 5,000 grams, a Class X felony.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved the plea agreement, which involved Kalinoski being sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The sentence will be served at 50% in accordance with truth-in-sentencing guidelines.
Kalinoski remains held in the McHenry County Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison.