Antioch man pleads not guilty to marijuana charge

An Antioch man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he had more than a pound of marijuana in his house when police came calling.

Fred Rhines Jr., 42, is also charged with possession of cocaine and obstruction of justice in the raid, which took place at his residence in the 300 block of Park Avenue on Sept. 25.

Armed with a warrant, police found 139 small bags of marijuana weighing just over 20 ounces, a small amount of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Fred Day.

Police also confiscated $1,000 in cash. Rhines also was charged with obstruction of justice for struggling with police as they entered his house.

Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak told Rhines he faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Potkonjak scheduled a trial of the case for Jan. 15 and ordered Rhines to appear in court again on Jan. 5.