North Aurora man gets prison for gun charge

A North Aurora man was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for possessing a deadly weapon while planning to sell illegal drugs, Kane County prosecutors said.

Torico M. Scott, 29, had been convicted in July of one count of armed violence, a Class X felony, after a bench trial in front of Circuit Judge Thomas E. Mueller. He faced up to 30 years in prison.

Scott was arrested July 19, 2009, after the North Central Narcotics Task Force searched his home on the 200 block of Laurel Drive, recovering more than 30 grams of marijuana, which he admitted was packaged to sell, authorities said. Also found was a Winchester Ranger 20-gauge shotgun under a sofa in proximity to Scott when officers arrived.

By law, Scott must serve at least half of his sentence, or six years. He received credit for 75 days served in the county jail.

"This conviction was the result of proactive police work by the North Central Narcotics Task Force, with the end result being that drugs, weapons and a person who sought to sell the drugs within our community were taken off the streets of North Aurora," Assistant State's Attorneys Mark Stajdohar and Deb Lang said in a joint statement.