LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake man sentenced last month in federal court to prison for drug charges is facing sentencing on a separate drug case in Lake County.
Jack David Pollack, 55, was found guilty by a jury of methamphetamine possession and being a felon in possession of a weapon, and is facing more than 24 years in prison due to a number of prior felony convictions, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
The case arose from an arrest on Nov. 9, 2012, Grothe said.
Pollack was found parked on the side of the road. Deputies searched his truck and found methamphetamine, and then searched his house and found drug scales and scanners, plus a rifle, according to Grothe.
The following month, Pollack would be arrested along with three other men by federal law enforcement officials for allegedly taking part in a home invasion robbery in Hidden Valley Lake dressed as law enforcement officers, with Pollack allegedly helping case the home.
In September, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison on two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in connection with that case, according to federal court records.
Grothe said Pollack has six prior convictions, dating back to 1984, for commercial drug cases involving transportation, possession for sale or manufacture of controlled substances.
It’s those prior convictions that are increasing the prison time Pollack is facing in the most recent local case, according to Grothe.
Pollack was remanded into custody on Oct. 11 when the jury returned with a verdict, Grothe said. He was back in court on Friday.
Grothe said Judge Stephen Hedstrom is scheduled to sentence Pollack on Dec. 3, the day after one of his former codefendants in the federal case – Eric Van Mendonca, 43 – is to be sentenced on a prescription drug trafficking case.
It’s not clear where Pollack will serve time first on the federal and local cases. Grothe said Pollack must turn himself over to federal authorities in January.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.