South Elgin man charged with accepting 12-pound pot package from California

A South Elgin man is wanted on charges he accepted a package from California that contained more than 12 pounds of marijuana, according to Kane County court records.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Christopher P. Brush, 34, of the 600 block of West Spring Street, charging him with felony manufacture/possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana.

According to an affidavit to secure a search warrant, authorities became suspicious of a package Sept. 22 that was express mailed to the South Elgin address because the California return address was fake.

Authorities opened the 15-pound, 14-ounce package, which cost $106.70 to mail, and found the marijuana, according to the affidavit.

Authorities put a GPS tracking device in the box, resealed it and delivered it to the Spring Street address and Brush accepted it there, the affidavit said. Police later executed a search warrant, seizing the 5,595 grams of marijuana and interviewing Brush. “Brush waived his right (to remain silent) and admitted to investigators that he had accepted the package as he has done with several similar parcels in the past five months. Brush knew the parcel to contain narcotics/cannabis,” according to the affidavit, which adds that Brush said he allows his address to be used as a shipping location in exchange for money.

Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said Bush was released after initial questioning and an arrest warrant issued later.

According to court records, Brush was sentenced to three years in prison for a December 2006 arrest for possession of up to 15 grams of cocaine. He also was sentenced to 100 hours community service and a year of conditional discharge, which is a form of probation, after pleading guilty to driving while his license was suspended from a July 2013 traffic stop in South Elgin.

If convicted, he faces between six and 30 years in prison with no chance of probation.