The Greene County State’s Attorney’s office secured a plea deal on Friday with a Carrollton man accused of delivering a substance to a White Hall woman that ultimately led to her death in December 2024.
Greene County State’s Attorney Craig M. Grummel announced Friday that Derek R. Nolan, 36, of Eldred was sentenced to 6 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to Class 2 felony Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy in Greene County Circuit Court.
Because of the nature of the offense, Nolan will be required to serve at least 75% of his sentence pursuant to Illinois law before being eligible for release. The sentence was handed down by visiting Jersey County Judge Allison Lorton. The conviction stems from Nolan’s involvement in a drug conspiracy on
December 20, 2024, in which he and a pair of co-conspirators agreed to obtain and deliver fentanyl in Greene County. According to the charging documents in the case, Nolan knowingly delivered a substance that contained fentanyl to Angela K. Virgin, 52, of White Hall Virgin then ingested the substance and died at her residence on December 21, 2024. Two women were also charged in the case, Megan M. Henson, 34, of Roodhouse and Shanda D. Griffin, 55, of Eldred. The charging documents accuse both women of agreeing to travel with Nolan to obtain and distribute the substance.
Henson pleaded guilty to Class 4 felony unlawful drug conspiracy on July 29 and was sentenced to 30 months of probation and ordered to pay a county fine and court costs. Griffin died at her residence in Eldred on July 5 prior to a disposition in her case.
“Cases involving fentanyl are devastating—not only to the victims and their families, but also to the community as a whole,” State’s Attorney Grummel said in a press release, “Our office is committed to holding individuals accountable who engage in this dangerous and deadly activity. At the same time, our thoughts are with all families affected by the choices that led to today’s sentence.” Grummel went on to commend law enforcement agencies and officers whose work made the prosecution possible, “This case was the result of outstanding investigative work by local law enforcement. I want to extend my gratitude to all agencies involved, with special thanks to Assistant White Hall Police Chief Daniel N. McPherson for his leadership and dedication to this case.”