St. Charles man found guilty of dealing heroin

ST. CHARLES – A St. Charles man faces a mandatory prison sentence after being convicted for dealing heroin.

A Kane County jury on July 11 found Johnny L. Williams, 58, of the 1200 block of Indiana Avenue, St. Charles, guilty of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, all felonies.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Kelly Orland and Vincent Coyle presented evidence during the four-day trial that on Feb. 23, 2017, Williams sold .7 grams of heroin to another person, according to a news release from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office. Williams also faces an unrelated felony charge of drug-induced homicide in the February 2017 overdose death of Ashley Mastel. Three other people also are charged in her death.

Williams was on parole for a 2015 drug conviction at the time, the release stated. After that transaction, the Kane County Opioid Task Force, a joint venture of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, conducted a parole search of Williams’ home in the 1200 block of Indiana Avenue and allegedly found in Williams’ bedroom 15 baggies of heroin that he sought to sell, the release stated.

Williams' next court appearance is set for Aug. 9. His sentencing is pending.

Because of his criminal history, he faces a sentence of between 6 and 30 years in prison, the release stated.

Williams remains in custody in the Kane County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest. Kane County Judge John Barsanti revoked Willilams’ bond upon conviction.

“This guilty conviction is a victory in the ongoing effort to remove heroin and other dangerous narcotics from our community," Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in the release. "In the two weeks prior to Mr. Williams’ arrest, four people in Kane County overdosed on heroin and died, and in 2017 and 2018 combined more than 130 people overdosed on heroin and died. I appreciate the willingness of local and federal law-enforcement agencies like the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration to work together to address this crisis.”