A Hoffman Estates man who delivered a dead body Tuesday to a local hospital has since been charged with growing marijuana in his garage.
Patrick E. McCarten, 36, was charged with production of cannabis after police said they found 32 marijuana plants in a room fashioned with grow lights and humidifiers in the suspect’s garage at 1845 Pierce St.
McCarten agreed to the search after delivering a dead person on Tuesday to the Hoffman Estates Medical Center, police said. The death appeared to be from an overdose, and the victim had several prescriptions for various drugs, police said.
“There’s no reason for us to believe at this point it’s a homicide,” Hoffman Estates Police Detective Dennis Cardiff told the judge at McCarten’s bond hearing Wednesday at the Rolling Meadows courthouse. Toxicology reports on the dead person were pending, police said.
McCarten was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, prosecutors said. McCarten’s next scheduled court appearance is June 22.
