Wood Dale felon facing new charges

While investigating another crime, Wood Dale police say they arrested a felon Thursday who now faces several drug charges.

Joaquin Montalvo, 34, of the 200 block of North Hemlock Avenue in Wood Dale, faces charges that include unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Police said they found Montalvo while assisting the Chicago Police Department in searching for a fugitive at a home on the 200 block of North Hemlock. In the process, officers detected evidence of ongoing drug activity, which Deputy Chief Greg Vesta said included a strong odor of cannabis in the home.

As a result, police searched the home and discovered 5.5 pounds of cannabis and more than 30 grams of cocaine, Vesta said. They also found several firearms that Vesta said were stolen from another town but may not have been reported to police, he said.

Vesta said police did not find the fugitive Chicago police are pursuing and Wood Dale’s involvement in that case has ended.

Instead, officers arrested Montalvo, a felon prohibited from possessing firearms under Illinois law. His other charges this week include unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. The maximum sentence for the combined charges is 36 years in prison.

He was released Friday from DuPage County jail after posting 10 percent bail, or $10,000, of his bond.