Carlyle man sentenced to prison for maintaining a drug house

BENTON, Ill. - A district judge sentenced a Carlyle man to 46 months' imprisonment after he admitted to operating a drug house near a park.

John E. Kock, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. Following imprisonment, Kock will serve three years of supervised release.

"Operating a drug house steps away from a park puts families and children at risk," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. "The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to prosecuting cases with a strong community impact in neighborhoods of all sizes, and we will hold offenders accountable."

According to court documents, Kock allowed others staying at his residence to use and distribute meth between March 2020 and October 2023. Law enforcement conducted controlled buys of meth from people living in the home and executed search warrants which recovered drug paraphernalia.

"Community safety is a top priority for this office. Sentences like this one show that we will hold accountable anyone who turns their home into a hub for illegal drug activity and threaten the safety of hardworking families," said FBI-Springfield Acting Special Agent in Charge Ruben Marchand-Morales. "Our work doesn't stop here; we remain committed to continuing working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and disrupt drug trafficking, reduce violent crime, and ensure that every neighborhood is a safer place to live, work, and raise a family."

The property was located in the 1600 block of Livingston Street in Carlyle across the street from a park.

The FBI Springfield Field Office, TOC-West Task Force and Carlyle Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of Clinton County Sherrif's Office and Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Hudson prosecuted the case.