Man pleads guilty delivering cocaine near McHenry school, sentenced to 6.5 years in prison

A Fox Lake man pleaded guilty Friday to delivering cocaine near a school in McHenry and was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, according to documents in the McHenry County courthouse.

On Friday, Carnell L. Lattimore, 40, entered into a negotiated plea of guilty to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 500 feet of a school, a Class X felony.

The Class X felony typically carries a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.

In exchange for his guilty plea, additional charges were dismissed including an additional count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 500 feet of a school, four counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of weapons by a felon and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.

Lattimore is required to serve half of his prison term and when released he will be on mandatory supervised release for 18 months, according to the supplemental sentencing order. He also will be given credit for 323 days served in McHenry County Jail since his arrest.

He was arrested in March 2020 following a three-week sheriff’s office investigation.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Tiffany Davis found the crimes committed were the result of use or abuse or addiction to drugs or alcohol. She recommended to the Illinois Department of Corrections that he be placed in a treatment program, according to the order.

The charge Lattimore pleaded guilty to was to possessing with intent to deliver between one and 15 grams of cocaine on Feb. 18 while he was within 500 feet of Parkland Middle School, 1802 N. Ringwood Road. The charge also states that at the time there were people present under the age of 18 or school was in session, according to the indictment.

The additional drug and weapon charges that were dismissed stemmed from March 3 and March 6, records show.

When Lattimore was arrested, police said they allegedly seized less than 15 grams of cocaine, a Kel-Tec .38 caliber pistol and ammunition from the man’s possession. At the time of his arrest, Lattimore was barred from possessing firearms based on a previous felony conviction.