Hanover Park man gets reprieve in court case

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time cost Eva Alvarado five months in Cook County Jail.

However, the Hanover Park 29-year-old won her freedom this week, thanks to Rene Favela's guilty plea before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fecarotta to possession with intent to deliver.

Prosecutors dropped the charges against Alvarado. Favela, 29, received 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the Class X felony. He could have received up to 30 years in prison, but prosecutors said he had no prior criminal record, which likely played into the judge's decision.

"Your lawyer did a phenomenal job for you," said Fecarotta. "You were looking at a lot of years."

The charges stemmed from a February raid by Cook County sheriff's investigators on the Hanover Park residence Alvarado and Favela shared. Deputies found a substantial amount of money and a powdery substance later determined to be cocaine. Published reports estimated the street value of the cocaine at $1.7 million.

The prosecution's case centered on Favela, not Alvarado, who prosecutors say was not involved. Favela must serve at least 75 percent of the sentence.