Grayslake man will await homicide trial from behind bars

A Grayslake man remains in Lake County jail lieu of $500,000 bond on charges he sold heroin to a woman who died from overdosing on the drug.

Lake County Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti rejected the request by Priest Little, 34, of 360 Neville St., to reduce his bond to $150,000 during a hearing Wednesday. Little has been behind bars since his arrest Jan. 18.

Little pleaded not guilty to drug-induced homicide during the arraignment portion of his court appearance, said Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Rod Drobinski. Rossetti set Little's trial for April 13.

Authorities were summoned to a Round Lake Beach home at 1:15 a.m. Dec. 26 for a report of an unresponsive female who had possibly overdosed on drugs.

Danielle Nicholas, 20, of Ingleside, died after she was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Nicholas died from heroin intoxication, according to the Lake County coroner's autopsy.

Little was charged after Round Lake Beach police determined he sold the heroin to Nicholas. Attorney Michael Melius indicated in court he plans an alibi defense for Little.

Drobinski said Little's criminal history was cited by the judge as a reason to reject his bond reduction request.

Little's criminal past dates to 1995 when he was sentenced to three years in prison for unlawful use of weapon in Chicago, Drobinski said. Little was sentenced to 16 years in a penitentiary for home invasion in 1996.

Little was freed from prison in 2004, Drobinski said, but wound up behind bars a year later for a driving with a revoked license conviction. At the time of his arrest on the drug-induced homicide accusation, Little was wanted by the Lake County sheriff's office on contempt of court charges for failure to pay child support, authorities said.