Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded Thursday, December 1, 2022 to a death investigation at a residence in the 25600 block of North Countryside Drive, Lake Barrington. The person who was discovered deceased was a 20-year-old man, who lived at the Countryside Drive address.
Lake County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted an investigation. Following an autopsy of the man by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, it was determined the man died of a drug overdose. Fentanyl was a contributing drug to his death.
Sheriff’s detectives discovered the day prior to his death, the victim was communicating with Luke G. Napolitano, 20, of the 400 block of West Russell Street, Barrington. Sheriff’s detectives ultimately determined Napolitano was responsible for selling the victim drugs the day prior to his death.
Information was developed that Napolitano was selling drugs in not only Lake County, but DuPage and Cook Counties as well. Napolitano is also facing drug related charges in Cook and DuPage Counties.
Due to Napolitano dealing drugs in several counties, Lake County Sheriff’s Detectives consulted with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office regarding the evidence obtained in the December, 2022 death. On June 9, 2023, a statewide Grand Jury was convened and the evidence was presented to the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury issued a True Bill of Indictment against Napolitano for Drug Induced Homicide (class X felony) and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance (class 2 felony). A Lee County Judge issued an arrest warrant for Napolitano and set bond at $1,000,000.00.
Napolitano remains held in the Cook County Jail on the previously filed Cook County charges and will be transferred to the Lake County Jail to await trial on the new charges.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, “Drug traffickers, like this man, prey on those who are vulnerable and struggling with addiction. There is no place in our society for drug pushers who profit from other’s struggles. I am grateful for the work of our staff and their collaboration with colleagues from across the region. It is our hope that these charges begin to bring closure to the victim’s family.”
Attorney General Kwame Raoul “Fentanyl-laced drugs are incredibly dangerous and continue to wreak havoc in communities across our country,” Raoul said. “I am absolutely committed to holding individuals accountable for distributing fentanyl-laced drugs, and I appreciate the hard work of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in investigating this case.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office thanks Schaumburg Police Department DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group (DuMEG), and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for their assistance with this case. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office will prosecute Napolitano on the drug induced homicide charges in Lake County, due to the multi-county crime.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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