Elgin crack dealer gets 20 years

An Elgin man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for possessing a loaded gun while trafficking crack cocaine, federal authorities announced Monday.

Darris Hyte, 31, of the 1200 block of Sairwood Drive, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Coar in Chicago on Nov. 5. He had faced five years to life in prison as a "career offender," officials said.

Hyte was arrested June 23, 2008, in Elgin on charges he possessed 31.5 grams of crack cocaine and a loaded .40-caliber pistol with an altered serial number. He pleaded guilty about a year later to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

In addition to 20 years in prison, Coar ordered Hyte to pay a $1,000 fine and serve five years of parole upon his release.

The case was investigated by Elgin police and the Chicago office of the FBI as part of the FBI's Safe Streets Initiative, authorities said in a news release.

Prosecutor John Hauser could not immediately be reached for comment.