Man arrested in Spring Grove possessed almost a pound of pot, police say

A man was arrested in Spring Grove about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, allegedly in possession of almost a pound of marijuana, according to a criminal complaint.

Joseph La Spisa, 35, of the 700 block of Canopy Drive in Round Lake, is charged with possession with the intent to deliver 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 3 felony; possession of 100 to 500 grams of marijuana; and unlawful possession of marijuana by a driver, according to the criminal complaint filed by Spring Grove police in McHenry County court.

Police initiated a traffic stop on La Spisa, who was driving a 2020 Ford Expedition, and found he was in possession of almost 450 grams of marijuana in multiple clear sandwich bags and a scale with a substance containing marijuana on it, according to the complaint.

Police said the traffic stop was made at Route 12 and Fox Lake Road.

During the traffic stop, La Spisa had “an excessive amount of cannabis within the motor vehicle ... some of which was not contained in a sealed, odor-proof, child-resistant cannabis container,” as required by law, according to the complaint.

After a hearing Tuesday afternoon, La Spisa was released pretrial with conditions including that he attend all court appearances, not break any laws and not consume illicit substances, according to the release order.