Round Lake Beach man pleads guilty to supplying fatal drug to friend
A Round Lake Beach man accused of giving his best friend a fatal dose of heroin will spend up to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug charge Tuesday in Lake County court.
Michael N. Seelye, 32, will be eligible for parole after serving 50 percent of the sentence he agreed to in front of Judge Mark Levitt. Seelye pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.
He will receive credit for 412 days already served in Lake County jail, Assistant State's Attorney Jim Newman said, and he will spend two years on parole upon his release from prison.
Seelye could have been sentenced up to 30 years in prison on charges of drug-induced homicide for the 2013 death of Hector Quinones, 31, of Round Lake Park, authorities said.
Police said a family member found Quinones unresponsive at his home in the 400 block of Colony Drive about 7 a.m. on May 12.
An autopsy showed he died of heroin intoxication, authorities said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Seelye in June 2013 after a police investigation. Seelye turned himself in and was held in Lake County jail on $500,000 bail.
Defense attorneys said autopsy results showed Quinones also had a blood alcohol level of .279 percent when he died.
Newman said charges of drug-induced homicide were dropped as part of the plea deal, and added Seelye did not have any prior convictions before his arrest last year.