Metro-east man sentenced for operating a ‘drug house’ for meth sales

A Carlyle man has been sentended to nearly four years in federal prison for operating a “drug house” near a park, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

John E. Kock, 52, was ordered to serve three years and 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.

Court records show Kock was indicted after investigators conducted “controlled buys” of methamphetamine at the home.

Assistant Federal Defender Patrick Kilgore, who represented Kock, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Kock pleaded guilty to the charge in November and was sentenced on Feb. 12 by U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert in Benton, according to court records. Along with the prison sentence, Kock was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

Between March 2020 and October 24, 2023, Kock owned a home in the 1600 block of Livingston Street, which is across the street from a park in Carlyle, according to a stipulation of facts filed in federal court.

“During this time Kock opened his residence to other people who distributed and used methamphetamine,” the court records state.

Controlled buys were made at the home on Nov. 4, 2022; Dec. 29, 2022; and March 4, 2023, according to court records.

“Operating a drug house steps away from a park puts families and children at risk,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said in the news release. “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.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 2:30 PM.