Man accused of selling drugs near Carpentersville school

A Chicago man with a lengthy criminal history was arrested Thursday night after police said he sold heroin to an undercover cop near a Carpentersville school.

Anton D. Elem, 34, of the 3100 block of West 15th Place, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, delivery of heroin and possession of heroin, police said.

Kane County Judge Bruce W. Lester Friday set his bail at $100,000 and he was being held at Kane County jail. Elem needs to pay $10,000 to be released.

Acting on several anonymous tips that indicated Elem was selling drugs locally, Carpentersville's gang and drug unit on Thursday scheduled a same-day undercover drug buy for an east side parking lot, Commander Timothy Bosshart said.

The transaction was completed at 10:43 p.m., with Elem selling 1.72 grams of heroin to police for $180, Bosshart said.

The drug deal occurred within 1,000 feet of Lakewood Elementary School and police subsequently arrested Elem after it concluded, Bosshart said.

According to court records, Elem was sentenced to 12 years for second-degree murder in 2004, a crime for which he is still on parole.

Elem was also sentenced to two years on a 2001 drug charge.

Lastly, a judge sentenced Elem to seven years in prison for a 1996 vehicular hijacking that involved a weapon.

All three cases were in Cook County.

His next court date on the current charges is July 16 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

Delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school is the most serious of the three charges Elem is facing.

Class X felonies typically come with sentence ranges between six and 30 years. But prosecutors said Elem's prior convictions could make him eligible for extended time in prison.