Crystal Lake man with felony record gets 7-plus years in prison in cocaine plea

A Crystal Lake man who is a convicted felon pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing cocaine and was sentenced to 7½ years in prison, court records show.

Norman Brown, 36, of the 1300 block of Floresta Vista, entered a guilty plea Thursday to one count of unlawful possession of cocaine, a Class 1 felony. In exchange for his plea, additional counts were dismissed, including armed violence and manufacturing and delivery of 15 to 100 grams of cocaine, Class X felonies, according to documents filed in McHenry County court.

Brown was on mandatory supervised release on a 2021 conviction of aggravated fleeing and eluding police and manufacturing and delivery of marijuana when he committed the latest offense, court records show.

Brown is required to serve half of his prison term. He will receive credit for 702 days spent in the McHenry County jail, plus an additional 304 days, half a day for each day he participated in work, volunteering or a self-improvement program. He participated in anger management and Malachi Dads, the judgment order said. Malachi Dads is a faith-based parenting program, according to the company website.

When released from prison, he will serve one year of mandatory supervised release, according to the judgment order filed in court.

On July 27, 2022, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Police Narcotics Task Force made a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by a woman. A search of the vehicle turned up 30 grams of cocaine, methamphetamine and a firearm, according to a motion to compel source of funds, filed when cash bond was an option. Police learned that Brown gave the woman the narcotics and firearm so she could sell the narcotics for him, according to the court document.

According to a separate document in Brown’s court file, text messages showed that he provided the woman with “pre-packaged baggies of crack cocaine” for her to sell. He also is referred to in the document as a “multiple-time convicted felon.”

The female driving the vehicle was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, a criminal misdemeanor. The charge was later dismissed, records show.