St. Charles drug dealer sentenced to 7 years

A St. Charles man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for selling Ecstasy to an undercover police officer.

Joseph P. Pryor, 33, of the 1300 block of South 14th Street, sold 100 pills after meeting with the officer Sept. 1 in a parking lot in the 500 block of South Randall Road in St. Charles, prosecutors said.

Pryor pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Additional charges, including unlawful possession and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school, were dismissed as a result of the plea.

Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Deb Lange said Batavia police conducted the investigation that resulted in Pryor's arrest and led to the seizure of 7 grams of cocaine and 100 pills containing MDMA, a narcotic substance otherwise known as Ecstasy. The transaction took place near a child-care center, police said.

“For the amount he delivered, this is a fair outcome,” Lange said. “This is one more drug dealer off the street.”

By law, Pryor must serve at least half of his sentence, or 3½ years. He received credit for 65 days in the Kane County jail.

Pryor served time last year as a result of two felony drug convictions in Cook and DuPage counties.

His latest arrest took place one day before he was to be discharged from parole.