Lake Co. man denies drug, stolen property charges

A Wildwood man pleaded not guilty Thursday to drug and possession of stolen property charges that stemmed from a pair of arrests.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Hoffert said Verl Craig, 44, could face a total of 30 years in prison if convicted of all the charges against him.

Hoffert said Craig was first arrested Sept. 2 by Park City police who were patrolling an area near Greenleaf Road.

An officer stopped Craig's car after he turned without signaling, Hoffert said, and ordered Craig out of the vehicle because he was holding an open can of beer.

The officer found a small packet of cocaine in between the driver's and passenger's seat, Hoffert said, and two more small packets inside a pouch in the driver's side door.

Craig was charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver and released on bond.

On Jan. 16, police served a search warrant on Craig's residence in the 17000 block of Greentree Road based on information they received from a man charged with car burglary.

The accused burglar told police he took items he stole from the car and brought them to Craig and traded them for drugs. The items included a video game player, a GPS device and a case of compact discs, Hoffert said.

Police found the GPS device and the compact discs in Craig's bedroom, Hoffert said, and also found a small amount of cocaine. A scale and a pipe were also confiscated during the raid, Hoeffert said.

Craig was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of stolen property as a result of that arrest.

Associate Judge Christopher Stride scheduled a trial of the cases for May 4, and ordered Craig to appear in court April 13.