Harvard man who fled police before drugs and almost $14K in cash were found in his car gets 10-year sentence

A Harvard man who led police on a high-speed chase before officers found marijuana, LSD and almost $14,000 in his vehicle was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison.

Alek A. Montemayor, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of 600 to 1,500 units of LSD, a Class 1 felony, according to the judgment order filed in McHenry County court. In exchange for his plea, a more serious Class X felony charge of possession with intent to deliver the LSD, as well as possession and manufacturing and delivery of marijuana, were dismissed, records show.

Montemayor was ordered to pay $12,890 in fees and fines; $8,000 of that amount relates to the street value of the drugs in his possession, according to the order.

He is required to serve half his prison term followed by 12 months of mandatory supervised release. He will receive credit for 78 days in the county jail plus an additional 30 for time spent in substance abuse classes, according to the order.

Montemayor admitted to possessing 897 individual perforated tabs of LSD, records show.

According to court records and authorities, during the traffic stop May 7, 2021, from which Montemayor fled – driving almost 100 mph in a 55-mph zone and blowing through at least two stop signs – police also found that he had 30 grams of marijuana and marijuana products, three cellphones, a drug ledger and a fabric bag containing $13,950 in his vehicle.

At the time of his arrest, Montemayor was on felony probation for a 2019 conviction of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, records show. With that conviction on his record, Montemayor could have been sentenced to decades in prison Wednesday.

While Montemayor was on pretrial release for the May 7 arrest, he was charged weeks later, on May 24, 2021, with misdemeanor domestic battery and possession of a controlled substance, while on April 26, 2022, he was charged with possession of 15 to 100 grams cocaine, aggravating fleeing police, and other traffic-related misdemeanors and petty offenses, court records show. In those cases, he was sentenced to one day each of conditional discharge for fleeing police and domestic battery, records show. The remaining charges were dismissed.

His attorney, Edward Johnson, released a statement Thursday: “Alek is a hardworking, kind-hearted person who has always put his family and friends first. Before the plea this week, he turned his life around. He had been working two jobs and was building a stable future for himself as a machinist. He was making meaningful contributions to the community and striving to create a better life for himself and those around him.

“His mother and the rest of his family remain eager for the day he can come home. The charges and the plea do not define who Alek truly is. He has always been someone who works hard, supports his loved ones, and demonstrates resilience in the face of challenges. I have no doubt he will be successful and continue making a positive impact upon his release.”