Crystal Lake man charged with having loaded gun, cocaine at Metra station pleads guilty

A man who authorities said arrived on a Metra train in Crystal Lake with cocaine and a loaded pistol has pleaded guilty to drug and weapon charges.

Benjamin Sherwood, 22, of Crystal Lake, pleaded guilty Thursday in McHenry County court to possession with intent to deliver one to 15 grams of cocaine, a Class 1 felony, and to possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the judgment order signed by Judge Tiffany Davis.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison on each count to be served concurrently. Additional charges were dismissed, including a more serious charge of armed violence, a Class X felony, as well as possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, court documents show.

The fentanyl charge appears to have been dismissed because, although a detective initially said the 1.3 grams of a white chalky substance found in Sherwood’s possession “field tested” positive for the presence of cocaine and fentanyl, later testing by Illinois State Police found the substance did not contain fentanyl, according to a motion.

At about 3 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2023, Sherwood was arrested after arriving on a Metra train from Chicago to Crystal Lake.

Members of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office had previously received a tip that Sherwood was engaged “in the sale of cocaine and illicit substances and was recently carrying a pistol,” according to prosecutors’ response to a defense motion to reveal the identity of the confidential informant who provided the information. Prosecutors wrote in a later filing there was no confidential informant. Detectives also learned that Sherwood “utilizes the Metra Train and frequents the Metra Train Station,” according to the motion.

When taken into custody, he had “numerous warrants” out for his arrest, according to court documents. He was initially arrested on those warrants, but when detectives searched him and found the cocaine and .380 semi-automatic pistol the new charges were filed, the motion states.

Sherwood is required to serve half his prison term followed by one year and six months of mandatory supervised release, according to the order. He is receiving credit for 539 days spent in custody at the county jail since his arrest plus additional days until his transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

At the time of his arrest Sherwood was on probation for a 2022 conviction of manufacturing and delivering between 30 and 500 grams of marijuana, court records show. In that case Sherwood also was charged with possessing a .25 caliber pistol, a charge that was dismissed, records show.