Lake Co. man gets probation in drug bust

A Wildwood man was placed on two years probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to possession of nearly six pounds of marijuana.

Eric Sjoholm, 22, was the second of two men to plead charged in connection with a May 18 raid on a house in the 18000 block of Circle Court to plead guilty in Lake County Circuit Court.

Assistant State's Attorney Brett Henne said Sjoholm and Thomas Bilestein, 21, lived at the house when agents of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group served a search warrant. Police found about five pounds of the drug inside plastic bags in the garage, and another seven ounces in a cardboard box inside Sjoholm's bedroom.

Henne said police also confiscated $3,026 in cash, a video game player, a television and a computer from Sjoholm.

Blisten pleaded guilty in August to possession of 8.6 grams of marijuana found in his bedroom, and was also placed on probation for two years.

Sjoholm was also ordered to pay a $750 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, and he agreed to forfeit the seized items to police.