Drug-induced homicide charges in death of St. Charles-area man
An Elgin man is held on $500,000 bail after he was charged with providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to 25-year-old Trevor Brubaker, who was found in his St. Charles Township house April 4.
Jose R. Charles, 25, of the 600 block of Dixon Avenue, faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted of drug-induced homicide, with no chance of probation.
Charles was arrested late Friday and must post $50,000 to be released from the Kane County jail while the case is pending.
Kane County Undersheriff Pat Gengler said authorities were called to a house on the 6N100 Florence Lane about 1:25 a.m. for an overdose and found Brubaker deceased.
The sheriff's Anti-Heroin Initiative Task Force investigated and learned Brubaker bought heroin, which also contained the lethal drug fentanyl, earlier that day from Charles, Gengler said.
The Anti-Heroin Initiative aims to reduce narcotic trafficking by charging heroin traffickers in drug-related homicides, and the intent is not to take action against those who discover overdose victims and attempt to help by calling 911, according to the sheriff's office.
Charles is next due in court Tuesday afternoon, when prosecutors will argue to have his bail amount increased or completely revoked.
According to Kane County court records, Charles has several felony arrests and convictions for drug offenses, and was on probation for a 2015 heroin case at the time the drug-induced homicide charge was filed.
Charles was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 30 months of probation, which runs through December 2019, after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a felony, stemming from the 2015 case, records show.
Prosecutors are seeking to revoke his probation after a January 2019 arrest on charges he possessed heroin while being held at the Kane County jail, records show.
Charles also was sentenced to 24 months of probation after pleading guilty after a 2013 arrest for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, records show.