Captured ex-deputy in Lee County Jail on $1 million bond

DIXON – The fugitive ex-deputy who surrendered to police Thursday morning after a 4-day manhunt is in Lee County Jail, held on $1 million bond.

Lowell Maxwell “Max” Ambler, 46, of Mendota, charged with home invasion and kidnapping in Lee County, also may be facing charges in Will County that include aggravated vehicle hijacking, vehicle hijacking, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle, Lee County Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Darcy said at his 1:15 p.m. court appearance Thursday.

The former LaSalle County deputy and K-9 handler, also a former Earlville police officer, appeared via video wearing a black-and-white-striped jail uniform, as well as the dark-rimmed glasses and heavy goatee familiar to those who have been following the case, which began Monday with news that police were searching for him, and that he was considered armed and dangerous.

Police surrounded a home in Earlville around 7 a.m.Thursday morning; Ambler, also wanted in connection with an armed carjacking in Plainfield in Will County Wednesday morning, surrendered without a fight, LaSalle County Sheriff Tom Templeton said.

Police had blocked off the area around the home, and had a SWAT team on scene, along with K-9 units and at least 15 police cars.

Police were alerted to Ambler’s presence at the home when Jenny Boltz, who’d known him his whole life, saw him knocking on the back door of her neighbor’s home around 6:40 Thursday morning.

Boltz called 911, and it seemed like only seconds before police, holding automatic weapons, were on scene waiting for Ambler’s next move.

“We were hoping it would end peacefully, for everyone’s sake,” Boltz said. “Both he and his family are in my prayers. I hope that he gets the help he needs.”

Wednesday afternoon, a witness reported seeing a man matching Ambler’s description in woods near the small LaSalle County community. A maroon Hyundai Santa Fe he is accused of stealing at gunpoint from a Plainfield man also was found in the area, police said.

Authorities had been hunting Ambler since he sent text and Snapchat messages to the mother of his teen victim, who lives in Plainfield, on Sunday, they said. Such contact would be a violation of the terms of his bond release, and is why police were searching for him.

He was thought to be carrying a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, Lee County Sheriff John Simonton had said. That, too, would be a violation of his bond conditions, which required him to relinquish his FOID cards and any weapons.

His next appearance in the Lee County case is Nov. 13.

The $25,000 of his $250,000 bond that he posted to obtain his initial release will not be applied to the $100,000 he needs to bond out now, Judge Ronald Jacobson said.

Tuesday, the search was focused on Plainfield. Ambler stole a Freightliner semi; the vehicle was found near the Plainfield home of his victim, and Plainfield North High School was put on soft lockdown during the search, Simonton and other police agencies said.

Ambler was arrested Sept. 15 and charged with home invasion and aggravated kidnapping, both of which carry 6 to 30 years in prison. He posted the $25,000 on Sept. 20, Lee County Court records show.

He started his career as a LaSalle County deputy on July 24, 2000, according to the sheriff’s office. He resigned June 15, 2015. His son, Lowell “Dalton” Amber, had died 6 months earlier, on Jan. 21, of cancer. He was 17.

His father, Lowell Ambler, is a former LaSalle County deputy sheriff.

According to court records, including a narrative from the girl’s mother:

Ambler, who had been in a relationship with the mother, entered an unlocked home in Compton in rural Lee County on Aug. 26, while “wearing a hood, robe or mask.” He grabbed the girl, who was babysitting, pushed her head into a couch then dragged her through the house, pushing her down the outside steps.

He picked her up, choked her from behind, duct-taped her hands behind her back and dragged her to a shed. As the girl pleaded for him not to kill her, he duct-taped her around her head and mouth. She couldn’t breathe and passed out, and he tossed her into a bean field.

A car arrived, Ambler took off, the girl broke free and officers were called, court records show.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he contacted the girl’s mother on Sunday, Simonton said. Law enforcement has been looking for him since.

Violating the terms of his release is a misdemeanor; Ambler was charged with that on Monday, when the warrant was issued. That case will be rolled into his felony case, Jacobson ruled Thursday.

According to the girl’s mother, he owns a .20-gauge and a .22 shotgun, a 9-mm handgun and a muzzleloader. He has an unspecified job in Yorkville, she told authorities.

“My worst fear is that if he bails out, he will think he has nothing left to lose and come to kill me or my daughter,” she told authorities. “I also fear that he knows how to get away with things since he is a former deputy.

Shaw Media reporter Katrina Milton contributed to this story.