A North Chicago man has been arrested for dealing methamphetamine out of a home that was also the location of a daycare center, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
Delwin Hodge, 27, was arrested Thursday after an investigation by the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Group into Hodge’s sales of narcotics, a sheriff’s office news release said. An undercover operation found that he was selling methamphetamine in Lake County, police said.
During the operation, Hodge sold more than 200 grams of methamphetamine to undercover detectives, police said. A search of his residence was conducted by members of SIG and the Sheriff’s SWAT team on Thursday.
They reportedly found packaging materials for narcotics distribution in Hodge’s bedroom, and it “appears drugs were flushed down a toilet just prior to the entry of the SWAT Team,” the release said.
A firearm was also reportedly located inside the home; however, multiple people live at the residence and the firearm’s owner is still under investigation, the release said.
Hodge has been living and operating out of a home that also runs a daycare, the release said. The firearm was not secured and was accessible to children at the home for daycare services, it said. The state Department of Children and Family Services was notified, police said.
According to the release, Hodge faces roughly a half-dozen felony drug-related charges, as well as a misdemeanor for endangering the life and welfare of a child. He was also on parole, the release said, and the state Department of Corrections issued a parole violation warrant for Hodge.
In a statement, Sheriff John Idleburg praised the “outstanding work” of SIG and the SWAT team.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to traffic dangerous drugs in our community, especially from a home where children are present,” Idleburg said. “The fact that methamphetamine was being sold and a firearm was left accessible in a daycare environment is beyond reckless.”
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office intended to file a petition to detain Hodge in custody while awaiting trial.
