Volo man charged with drug-induced homicide

A Volo man has been charged with drug-induced homicide in connection with a fatal does of fentanyl delivered to a 33-year-old man, also of Volo, last August.

Jerry L. Gray, 29, of the 27400 block of Volo Village Road was transferred to McHenry County jail Thursday morning in a coordinated effort between Lake County sheriff's police and the McHenry County state’s attorney's office.

Gray’s arrest Wednesday and pending prosecution in McHenry County concludes a death investigation, according to Lake County sheriff Deputy Chief Chris Covelli.

On Aug. 11, sheriff’s deputies responded to the 27000 block of West Hartigan Road in Volo for a report of a man not breathing. Life-saving actions were taken at the scene but he subsequently was pronounced dead at a hospital in McHenry.

An autopsy by the McHenry County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death as a result of the adverse affects of fentanyl, Covelli said.

During the initial investigation, deputies learned the man bought pills from another man identified as Gray at a nearby gas station, Covelli said.

Pills found inside the man’s room tested positive for fentanyl, he added.

Video surveillance showed Gray selling the pills to the man, Covelli said, and additional evidence linking him to the transaction was uncovered.

Because the man died in McHenry County, sheriff’s detectives worked with the McHenry County state’s attorney’s office to obtain subpoenas.

McHenry County prosecutors approved a charge of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, and an arrest warrant was issued. Sheriff’s detectives took Gray into custody Wednesday at a gas station in Volo, according to Covelli.

In a news release, Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said the impacts of fentanyl and other deadly drugs continue to be seen in the region and his office will aggressively investigate and hold drug traffickers accountable.