Crystal Lake couple accused of having ‘mushroom grow operation,’ one facing child porn charges

A Crystal Lake couple, who are Huntley business owners together, have been charged with allegedly operating a “mushroom grow operation” in their home’s basement, while the husband also faces allegations that he surreptitiously video recorded a child undressing, court records show.

Christopher S. Hopp, 38, and Corinne E. Breskovich, 42, of the 800 block Wedgewood Drive, each have been charged with possession and possession with intent to deliver more than 200 grams of psilocybin, a type of psychedelic mushroom, as well as unlawfully possessing a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, a Taurus PT22 pistol, a Remington long rifle, a Ruger Security-Six revolver, ammunition and shotgun shells.

Hopp had his firearm owners identification card revoked, while Breskovich was eligible but did not have one, according to the criminal complaints.

Hopp also was charged with two counts of creating child pornography, Class X felonies, as well as two counts of possessing child pornography and video recording without consent, according to the complaint.

He was accused of recording a child undressing without the child knowing and reproducing and creating a video file of it on a computer, the complaint alleges.

Breskovich and Hopp are the new owners of the Huntley Dairy Mart, according to Illinois Secretary of State and McHenry County Recorder’s Office documents.

Breskovich and Hopp are listed as the managers of Windy City Landholdings LLC, which purchased the Huntley Dairy Mart in late October. The pair also signed a banking document filed with the Recorder’s Office that showed they obtained a $738,400 loan in connection to the property.

The Huntley Dairy Mart has been an institution along Route 47 in Huntley since 1955. The previous owner purchased it in the 1980s, according to Northwest Herald archives.

Hopp was also an assistant coach with the Lake in the Hills/Algonquin Jr. Eagles Football organization during a spring and fall season, the group’s board said in a letter provided to the Northwest Herald by a parent. Attempts to reach the organization’s president and secretary on Tuesday were not successful.

Hopp volunteered under the same head coach both seasons, who assured board members that “at no time was Hopp alone with any of the children on the team,” the board said in the letter.

On Thursday, a search warrant was executed at the couple’s Crystal Lake home where police found 236 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, as well as psilocybin mushroom spores, a scale, mason jars and $2,000 in cash, according to prosecutors’ motions asking the judge to require the source of any bail funds be disclosed.

Crystal Lake police declined to say what prompted the search warrant.

Each appeared in separate courtrooms Tuesday morning where family members spoke on their behalf and gave detailed information on where money they would post securing their release from jail would come from.

Hopp was being held in the McHenry County jail on $400,000 bond and Breskovich on $150,000. To be released each needed to post 10% of their bond.

Judge James Cowlin accepted courtroom testimony from a relative of Hopp’s that the $40,000 she would post is coming from a legitimate, non-criminal source, and Judge Tiffany Davis did the same for a relative of Breskovich who said he would post the $15,000.

They both were released Tuesday morning, according to the jail log. Hopp is due back in court March 2 and Breskovich is due back Feb. 17, court records show.