Bail increased for Aurora man after DUI while armed violence case is pending
A Kane County judge has increased bail for an Aurora man who was charged with DUI and possession of a controlled substance this month while an armed violence case was pending.
Judge Charles Petersen increased Maxwell T. Melgar's bail to $35,000 - meaning he must post $3,500 to be released - on Monday after prosecutors argued for it.
Melgar, 22, of the 800 block of Lafayette Street, was free on bond on July 2019 armed violence charges when he was arrested June 7 after a traffic stop at 1:10 a.m. near West Downer Place and East Lake Street, according to Kane County court records. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of a controlled substance.
He is next due in court July 7. He faces a sentence ranging from probation to three years in prison on the drug charge that accompanied the DUI arrest, records show.
Melgar faces a minimum of 15 years in prison on the felony armed violence charge that stemmed from a traffic stop in Aurora in which he was accused of possessing a 9 mm handgun and 15 grams of Alprazolam, records show.
He initially was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, but a grand jury indictment in late July 2019 increased the severity of the charges.
In 2015, Melgar was sentenced to six months in jail and two years of sex offender probation after pleading guilty to felony intimidation. He was accused of using the threat of posting nude photos of two women on the internet to blackmail them into having sex with him, according to court records.
Melgar also was arrested and charged with methamphetamine possession in 2018. He later pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and received additional probation.