April 15--An Aurora man has been convicted of selling cocaine near a school.
Wendell C. Thompson, 50, of the 500 block of Charles Street, was convicted Thursday by a Kane County jury of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, a class 1 felony, and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a class 2 felony.
The jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before it reached the verdict, according to a news release from the Kane County state's attorney's office.
Prosecutors presented evidence that about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 8, 2013, Thompson and two other men were in a car that was parked in the 1000 block of Illinois Avenue in Aurora. Thompson sold less than 1 gram of cocaine to one of the men in the car in the presence of an undercover police officer. The transaction took place within 1,000 feet of a school where classes had ended for the day and as children were beginning to head home.
Kane County Circuit Judge Donald M. Tegeler Jr. set Thompson's next court appearance for 1:30 p.m. June 9 for motions and sentencing. Thompson faces a sentence of between six and 60 years in prison. The sentencing range is enhanced because of previous convictions, including drug-related convictions, according to the state's attorney's office.
Thompson is in custody at the Kane County Jail. Bond was revoked upon conviction.
