Man charged with drug possession after fleeing police in Crystal Lake

After allegedly fleeing police Tuesday afternoon on Randall Road in Crystal Lake, a Chicago man was arrested and charged with possessing hundreds of grams of fentanyl and cocaine.

Carlos J. Cartagena, 33, is charged with possessing with the intent to deliver more than 900 grams each of cocaine and fentanyl, Class X felonies that can carry decades in prison if convicted, according to the criminal complaint filed in McHenry County.

He also is charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer, which is an aggravated charge for allegedly going 21 mph over the limit and ignoring multiple traffic control devices; reckless driving; and possessing six clonazepam tablets, according to the complaint.

Cartagena is accused of ignoring a McHenry County sheriff’s deputy’s signals to stop and pull over and sped through traffic lights at more than 21 mph above the speed limit, according to the complaint.

Police terminated the pursuit and a few minutes later found Cartagena and his vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant in Algonquin, Assistant State’s Attorney Julio Cantre said.

After a hearing Wednesday, Chief Judge Michael Chmiel said he found Cartagena was a real and present threat to any person or the community as well as a flight risk and ordered that he be jailed pretrial.

He is due back in court May 14.