Waukegan man accused of selling heroin in overdose death pleads not guilty
A man accused of supplying heroin in the death of a 25-year-old Antioch-area man pleaded not guilty to drug-induced homicide in Lake County court Thursday.
Darrin S. Reed, 32, of the 600 block of North Martin Avenue in Waukegan, faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of selling drugs to Joseph Bond of the 26000 block of West Catalpa Road.
Reed also faces multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a stolen firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated fleeing police, and delivery of a controlled substance, court records show. He's held in Lake County jail on $950,000 bail.
Reed was arrested and charged as part of the Lake County sheriff's office's "Operation Front Line," which ran from June 8 through Aug. 1. It targeted drug dealers and heroin in the northwest portion of the county, authorities said.
Police identified areas of drug trafficking in patrol districts, worked with informants to develop leads on drug dealers, and provided those leads to the sheriff's criminal investigations division and the gang task force, authorities said. A total of 53 people were arrested, authorities said.
Bond died of an opioid overdose June 13. Police said they determined Reed was responsible for selling Bond the heroin. Authorities said 22 grams of heroin and nearly $6,000 in cash were recovered during a search of Reed's home.
His trial is set for Dec. 12. He is due back in court Oct. 21.