Rantoul man gets 11 years for selling drugs that killed Bloomington man

BLOOMINGTON — A Rantoul man who admitted he sold fentanyl-laced heroin to a man who died after using it has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Troy McBride, 24, whose last known local address was in the 1000 block of Juniper Drive, pleaded guilty Nov. 9 in McLean County Circuit Court to drug-induced homicide, admitting that on March 23, he sold the fentanyl-laced heroin to James Dingman, 41, of Bloomington, in Champaign.

Mr. Dingman returned to his Bloomington home, took the drugs and died from an overdose. He was found dead on the couch in his living room the same day as the purchase.

McLean County Judge Scott Drazewski imposed the sentence Friday after considering victim-impact statements submitted by Mr. Dingman’s parents.

McBride will have to serve 75 percent of the sentence, or a little more than eight years.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, the state agreed to recommend no more than 14 years in prison even though the range of penalties for the Class X felony is between six and 30 years.

McLean County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Horve argued for 14 years, while McBride’s attorney, Phil Finegan, sought a minimum sentence of six years. McBride was given credit on his sentence for 199 days served.

Facts laid out by Horve at the time of McBride’s plea revealed that Mr. Dingman had numerous cellphone contacts with McBride before arranging to meet him at the Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. The sale occurred in the early-morning hours of that Friday.

Mr. Dingman was found deceased about 7:30 a.m. by his father. Near him were two plastic-bag corners with white powder and a rolled up $10 bill.

His father gave Bloomington police Mr. Dingman’s cellphone. Detectives used it to place an order for more heroin, arranging to meet the seller, later determined to be McBride, in Urbana.

Detectives from Bloomington and the Champaign County Street Crimes Task Force were watching the Urbana address where they were to meet the seller and saw McBride leave there. Police then texted the number again and asked that the meeting take place in the parking lot of an Urbana grocery store.

When McBride arrived there, he had the cellphone that police had been contacting, heroin, and several other bags of cocaine.

McBride was arrested and agreed to speak to detectives. They said he was cooperative and admitted that he sold about a half-gram of heroin for $50 to a man he knew as Jamie at the Illinois Terminal around 1 a.m. March 23.

McBride was initially charged in Champaign County with possession with intent to deliver cocaine and heroin stemming from his arrest that day, but those charges were dismissed following his indictment June 8 by a statewide grand jury on the charges of drug-induced homicide.

Assistant Champaign County State’s Attorney Matt Banach said then that the conduct was all part of the same investigation, and since McLean County had the more serious charge, it made sense for them to prosecute.

In exchange for McBride’s guilty plea to drug-induced homicide, the state dismissed several other Class 1 and 2 felony counts: delivery of fentanyl, delivery of heroin, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with intent to deliver heroin mixed with fentanyl, and possession with intent to deliver cocaine.

As part of his plea agreement, McBride was ordered to pay $12,752 in restitution to Mr. Dingman’s mother for out-of-pocket funeral expenses. He was also ordered to pay a $500 street fine.

Court records from Champaign County show he had prior convictions for attempted theft and theft.

Horve praised the Bloomington police department and the Champaign County Street Crimes Task Force for doing a “fantastic job of working together” to find and arrest McBride.