Woodstock man arrested on drug charges, accused of being armed with machine gun

A Woodstock man remained jailed Sunday after being arrested Thursday with more than 4 ounces of methamphetamine, a loaded automatic machine gun and body armor on him.

Richard K. Wieser Jr., 24, of the 300 block of Leah Lane, Woodstock, is charged with five Class X felonies of possession and possession with intent to deliver 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine, two counts of armed violence and possession of a machine gun.

He is also charged with possession and possession with intent to deliver 1 to 15 grams of cocaine, possession of LSD, possession of ammunition without a Firearm Owners Identification card and possession of a firearm without a FOID card.

The most serious charges against him carry decades in prison if convicted.

Wieser is also charged with two counts of possession of dugs and use of a knife in a separate case filed Friday after Judge Cynthia Lamb signed the warrant for his arrest in the case on Jan. 3. Wieser appeared for an initial jail appearance before Lamb on the two separate cases Friday.

Wieser, who also has a Cary address listed on other court documents, was armed with an “un-serialized” AR-15 rifle that was “converted into a machine gun with an auto sear,” according to the complaint.

When arrested, police found Wieser with the firearm “slung over his shoulder,” loaded with a 30-round magazine and another 30-round magazine in his pocket; wearing body armor; and carrying three cell phones, 120 grams of methamphetamine and 10 grams of cocaine that were “pre-packaged” for selling, Assistant State’s Attorney Julio Cantre said.

“He would be able to shoot many, many rounds in a short period of time,” Cantre said.

In connection to the case, a warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of a Wonder Lake man who allegedly sold the AR-15 rifle to Wieser.

Philip C. Marcadante, 52, of the 7400 block of Center Street, Wonder Lake, is charged with possession of a machine gun as a felon and two counts of possession of a machine gun. According to the complaint, Marcadante gave or sold Wieser the gun on Dec. 29.

The sale of assault weapons were banned in Illinois last year and those who own the firearms prior to the ban must have them registered.

Prior to his most recent arrest, Wieser was out on pretrial release in a 2024 case where he is charged with possession and possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and fentanyl. He also has a 2023 case for a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery, according to court records. In those cases, Wieser was ordered to not have any weapons, Cantre said.

“He’s already made a mockery of those orders,” Cantre said.

Cantre filed a petition to deny Wieser pretrial release, which Lamb granted. Lamb said Wieser “does not seem to be able to stop himself from possessing illegal substances in quantities associated with their sale, as well as any firearms, so no condition or set of conditions can mitigate the real and present threat he poses to the community.”

A public defender representing Wieser argued that Wieser “admitted to have a substance abuse problem” and has a nonviolence criminal history. Wieser stood in front of the judge crying and sometimes hunched over the stand during the hearing. Officers handed him tissues.

“This is much larger than a personal drug use problem,” Cantre said.

Cantre filed petitions to revoke Wieser’s pretrial release for his three open cases in McHenry County court. Wieser is set to appear in court for all of his cases on Monday, according to court records.