Pair found in Bannockburn with 20+ pounds of pot plead not guilty

Two out-of-state men who Bannockburn police said had nearly 23 pounds of marijuana in their truck pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court.

John Fitzgerald and Kyle Halverson, both 33, face mandatory prison sentences of six to 30 years if convicted in the case.

Assistant State's Attorney Scott Hoffert said Fitzgerald, of Carmel, Ind., and Halverson, of Oakland, Cal., were arrested just after 9 a.m. on April 4.

Hoffert said a Bannockburn police officer saw the truck Fitzgerald was driving pulling away from a loading dock behind a store at the intersection of Half Day and Waukegan roads.

The officer became suspicious, Hoffert said, because the store was closed for Easter Sunday and the truck matched the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with a series of burglaries.

The officer stopped the truck, Hoffert said, and Fitzgerald and Halverson gave differing accounts of where they were coming from and where they were going.

A search of the truck turned up a duffel bag that Hoffert said contained 19 vacuum-sealed bags, each containing 1.2 lbs of marijuana.

Hoffert said the marijuana has an approximate street value of $34,200.

Both men refused to answer any police questions, Hoffert said, and both were released after posting $1,000 cash for bond.

The two are charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and marijuana trafficking.

Associate Judge George Bridges scheduled a trial of the case for Aug. 30 and ordered both men to appear in court July 19.