Alleged McHenry County Drug House Operator Held On Cocaine Charges

WOODSTOCK, IL — A Woodstock man with a history of drug convictions is being held in the McHenry County Jail after authorities alleged he repeatedly sold cocaine from his home, including to people who were later stopped by police with drugs in their possession.

Troy Knutson, 55, of the 500 block of Highland Avenue, faces a Class X felony charge of possession of 15 to 100 grams of cocaine with intent to deliver as well as two Class 4 felony drug possession charges in connection with an Aug. 28 arrest, according to McHenry County court records.

The charges came months after Knutson was arrested in a separate drug case stemming from a March 31 incident.

In that case, prosecutors charged Knutson with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, alleging he had less than 15 grams of cocaine as well as 30-milligram amphetamine and dextroamphetamine pills.

A Sept. 14 court order in that case shows Knutson was released from custody on personal recognizance and ordered to comply with standard conditions of pretrial release, including not violating any criminal laws, according to court documents provided to Patch. The more serious case filed in August alleges Knutson possessed 27.3 grams of cocaine with the intent to sell it.

He was also charged with possessing 11 pills identified in the complaint as Adderall and with possession of cocaine.

Prosecutors subsequently sought to have Knutson detained while the August case is pending, arguing his release would pose a threat to the community. A judge agreed, citing evidence presented during the detention proceedings that authorities had numerous contacts involving Knutson and drugs or drug paraphernalia.

According to the judge's written findings, police stopped several people after they left Knutson's residence, and those individuals told authorities they had purchased narcotics from him. In another instance, a person had $10,000 in cash after meeting with Knutson in his vehicle, according to the court's findings.

When authorities searched Knutson's residence, investigators found 27.3 grams of cocaine, three glass smoking devices containing residue that tested positive for cocaine and numerous plastic bags of the type used to store or package narcotics for sale, the judge wrote.

The court also cited Knutson's criminal history, which the judge said includes eight criminal convictions, including four drug-related felonies. Those included previous convictions involving the manufacture or delivery of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and criminal drug conspiracy, according to the detention order.

The judge concluded that electronic monitoring or GPS restrictions would not adequately address the alleged activity because authorities said customers had been coming to Knutson's residence to purchase drugs.

"Defendant has repeatedly used and sold cocaine in this community," the judge wrote in ordering Knutson detained.

Knutson was ordered held in the McHenry County Jail pending further court proceedings in the August case. Meanwhile, the separate March drug case remains pending.