January trial for former Geneva doctor accused of rape, growing pot
A former Geneva doctor accused of a 2012 sex assault and subsequently charged with growing marijuana at his home while free on bail will have a bench trial in January.
Attorneys Thursday set the trial for Mark G. Lewis, 58, for Jan. 18 before Kane County Judge John Barsanti.
Lewis has been held at the Kane County jail since early May 2015 without bail after his arrest on charges he was growing more than 100 marijuana plants inside his former home on the 0-99 block of Squire Lane in St. Charles.
Lewis also was charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver, and possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owner's Identification card.
Authorities said they found 110 marijuana plants in the setup, which included an irrigation system and carbon dioxide generator to promote growth. Cannabis edibles were found in the kitchen refrigerator, and authorities also found nearly 26 pounds of processed marijuana and estimated the dried and live plants have a total value of $600,000.
Lewis' arrest by the North Central Narcotics Task Force, a unit of the state police, came while he was free after posting $25,000 bail after his arrest in summer 2014 on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Lewis is accused of sexually assaulting a woman Nov. 16, 2012, in St. Charles while she slept at his former home.
She was a patient of Lewis' and was sleeping at his home because her boyfriend's mother was romantically involved with Lewis, according to court records.
A message left with Tim Mahoney, Lewis' defense attorney, was not returned.
Under the state's forfeiture laws, prosecutors had tried to seize Lewis' former home, arguing it was used for marijuana cultivation, storage and distribution.
Court records show that prosecutors dismissed that complaint in February; the state's attorney's office said Thursday the matter was dropped "in deference to an innocent lien-holder" on the property.
If convicted of the most severe charges in both cases, Lewis faces a sentence ranging from 18 to 90 years in prison, as well as registration as a sex offender.