Round Lake Beach man gets prison for cocaine residue in straw

A Round Lake Beach man with an extensive criminal record was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday for possession of cocaine residue.

The sentence given to David Allen, 39, marks his eighth trip to prison since 1996 and comes when he is on parole for possession of a stolen car.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Matthew DeMartini said Allen, of the 1500 block of Meadowbrook Drive, was driving near the intersection of Route 45 and Crystal Street in Mundelein at 1:49 a.m. on May 5.

A police officer stopped Allen's 1996 Chrysler because of improper headlights, DeMartini said, and received Allen's permission to search the car.

In the rear pocket of the driver's side seat, DeMartini said, the officer found a plastic straw with cocaine residue inside.

Allen told the officer he was not sure how the straw came to be in his vehicle because he had not inhaled any cocaine for several days, DeMartini said.

According to court records, Allen was paroled from prison on Dec. 18, 2009, from a 2007 Cook County conviction for possession of a stolen car, and was still on parole at the time of his arrest.

The records also show Allen was sentenced to prison in 1996 and 1997 for drugs, residential burglary in 2000, robbery in 2004 and theft in 2005 and 2007.

In addition to the 30 months Allen must serve for his current conviction, DeMartini said prison officials can require Allen to serve the remainder of his 6-year term on the stolen car conviction because of the new arrest.