Aurora man once accused of blackmailing women for sex arrested on meth charge
A 21-year-old Aurora man - who three years ago was sentenced to jail and sex offender probation after pleading guilty to reduced charges that he blackmailed two woman into having sex with him - was arrested on felony drug charges early Tuesday morning.
Maxwell T. Melgar, of the 800 block of Lafayette Street, is charged with possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop.
According to Kane County court records, Melgar was pulled over at 1:44 a.m. for failing to signal after turning on Marion Avenue east onto Lafayette.
The felony charges carry a top punishment of five years in prison, but probation is also an option.
Melgar's bail was set at $10,000 Tuesday morning; Kane County Judge Christine Downs allowed him to be released on his own recognizance. He is next due in court on Aug. 23.
Melgar was arrested in early 2015 by Aurora police and charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse, and intimidation, records show.
Melgar, according to police and court records, was accused of threatening to post nude pictures of an 18-year-old that he knew on social media unless she had sex with him. During a search of his cellphone, authorities say they uncovered evidence of a similar crime against the 20-year-old woman, and more charges were filed.
According to court documents, the 20-year-old woman had sex with Melgar about 15 times and paid him about $500 so he would not share her photos online. The sexual assault case against the 20-year-old woman was heard in juvenile court because Melgar was younger than 18 at the time he was charged with assaulting her, prosecutors said.
Melgar pleaded guilty to felony intimidation in November 2015 in exchange for other charges being dismissed by prosecutors. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and released that day because he had served 280 days while his case was pending - and issued two years of sex offender probation and treatment.
It took him three years to complete treatment as officials at the One Hope United wrote to prosecutors on March 6, confirming that Melgar had completed his sex offender treatment, court records show.
When he began in March 2015, he was a high risk to reoffend but was now in the low risk range, although there were still "some areas that needed improvement," court records show.
"Today, Mr. Melgar knows his risk factors, thinking errors and uses more healthy coping skills to work through his problems, such as talking to his support system," read part of One Hope United's letter.
Before that, prosecutors had sought to revoke Melgar's probation, citing a marijuana arrest in Aurora in May 2016 and three drug tests that year on Feb. 16, March 16 and May 4, in which he tested positive for THC, court records show. Prosecutors also noted he still owed some $1,680 in court costs and restitution.