Shepherd Premier Senior Living to turn Bull Valley 'drug house' into assisted living facility

A Bull Valley house that served as the main port for a cross-country drug trafficking ring is being repurposed as a senior living home.

Shepherd Premier Senior Living bought the 18,000-square-foot estate at 1001 Cherry Valley Road for $750,000 last year after former owner David Soskin accepted a 10-year prison sentence and forfeited his assets, including the property, which prosecutors allege he bought with drug money.

McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies seized more than 350 pounds of marijuana, cash, 18 TVs, multiple guns, ammunition and vehicles from the home in 2017. Soskin was charged with marijuana trafficking, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver more than 12 pounds of marijuana in April 2018.

Part of the deal required Soskin to forfeit the home, which he bought with his fiancée, Jamie Lee, through a trust for $800,000 in 2016. Neither of their names appears on official paperwork regarding the sale, according to documents from the McHenry County Recorder’s Office.

Now, Steve and Theresa Maskrey, along with business partner Brandon Schwab, plan to transform the campus into an oasis for senior citizens.

The ranch-style mansion with a 12-foot deep indoor pool, sauna and hot tub sits on 35 wooded acres in one of McHenry County’s most affluent communities. The home was built in 1977, designed by former owner Mary Budreck, her son Mike Budreck said.

The Shepherd Premier team have eyed the property for years and put in an offer when the house first went up for sale.

“It’s an amazing, amazing house,” Theresa Maskrey said. “We usually do a much smaller property. Making this one cozy will be our biggest challenge because there is just so much square footage.”

Shepherd’s offer was overlooked when Soskin made his offer, she said.

The Budreck family – consisting of Mary and husband Charles Budreck, and their six children – lived in the home for years after its design and two-year construction period. Mary Budreck died in 2013 and Charles Budreck moved out in 2016 to live at Fox Point, an assisted living facility in McHenry, son Mike Budreck said.

Charles Budreck is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 1940s with the famed Gen. George Patton during World War II, Mike Budreck said.

Budreck hopes his father, who now is 95, can see the family home return to its original splendor.

“I am so glad it’s coming back alive,” Budreck said. “I know everything about that house. I did a lot of maintenance on the house and the carpentry. When [Soskin] bought it, I thought ‘Great. At least it’s sold.’ But then he turned into a complete idiot. He was basically a really nice guy, but he got into dope.”

Mike Budreck and his company, Budreck Construction, will assist in the home’s rehabilitation.

“I love the idea of this family home,” Theresa Maskrey said. “Forget the nefarious purposes. The love that went into designing it will be used for a good thing.”

The home sustained major damage in January 2018 when a pipe burst and caused about $100,000 in water damage. The house hadn’t been secured for winter weather amid ongoing arguments over who had legal rights to the property.

The house is now gutted and undergoing extensive renovation to prepare for its use as a Shepherd facility.

“What we are trying to do is keep seniors in their community,” Theresa Maskrey said. “Keep them in their neighborhood but still make sure they get the care along with the life quality that they deserve.”

Shepherd plans to accommodate up to 16 clients in the home, which will have a total of nine bedrooms – seven shared suites and two private suites – when construction is complete. Each bedroom will have its own bathroom. Shepherd plans to also install an elevator and create recreational areas and office space in the home. Overhaul costs are expected to total about $850,000, Schwab said.

“This property is going to be incredible when its done,” he said.

Shepherd Premier has multiple locations throughout McHenry County, including its homes in Ringwood, Harvard and Crystal Lake, with more in the works.

The company aims to offer family-like, social homes for seniors who need qualified caretakers. Seniors staying with Premier can expect family-style meals, social activities, regular outings and state-of-the-art medical care.

“We are opening up these homes actively to try to keep up and give those people in this county an option that doesn’t have to be a big 100- to 200-bed place,” Schwab said. “It took us five years to get to this point.”

Shepherd Premier hopes to open the Bull Valley facility by the end of the year.