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The teen driver of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat involved in an October crash near Woodstock that killed him and two others tested positive for marijuana, according to toxicology reports released by the McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein.
Alex Gonzalez, 18, of Harvard, had active and inactive THC metabolites in his system, according to the report. Gonzalez also tested positive for Delta-9 THC, according to the report.
Gonzalez was killed in the crash along with his passenger, Miguel Martinez-Santiago, 17, also of Harvard, and the driver of the car the Gonzalez collided with, Woodstock mother of three Amy Roeder, 47. Roeder’s daughter was a passenger in her car and was seriously injured.
Roeder was found only to be “presumed positive” for caffeine in her system at the time of the crash. Martinez-Santiago also had no substances found in his system except for a presumed positive for caffeine, and he and Gonzalez both tested positive for elevated levels of carboxyhemoglobin, indicative of cigarette smoking.
In Illinois, the legal limit for THC is five nanograms per milliliter of THC in whole blood, or 10 or more nanograms per milliliter of other bodily substances, according to the secretary of state’s office. According to the toxicology report, Gonzalez’s levels of THC were above that threshold.
Gonzalez had both active and inactive THC metabolites in his system. Active metabolites suggest recent marijuana use and their presence “indicate that [the subject] could be currently intoxicated,” Rein said. Inactive metabolites indicate THC remains in the system from previous use.
The toxicology reports were released to the Northwest Herald through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Authorities confirmed that Gonzales was driving the Dodge Hellcat.
The crash occurred around noon Oct. 27 in the 13400 block of Davis Road west of Woodstock.
Officials said at the time of the crash the Hellcat was going west on Davis Road near Woodstock when it tried to pass a Jeep Wrangler in a no-passing zone. At the top of a crest in the road, the Hellcat hit a 2022 Volvo XC 90 going east. The Volvo went into the south ditch and the Hellcat landed in the north ditch and caught fire, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
The Hellcat was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived to the scene and the teens were discovered after the fire was put out. Roeder was driving the Volvo.
The sheriff’s office said at the time they thought speeding and reckless driving were factors in the crash. Officials said in October they found alcohol containers near the scene but did not say at the time which car they came from. None of the people killed in the crash were found to have tested positive for alcohol, according to the toxicology reports.
A vigil was held for the teens near the crash site in October.
Roeder was a reading interventionist at Westwood Elementary School in Woodstock. According to a GoFundMe set up to help Roeder’s family, she “has always been there for others, whether it was lending a helping hand, offering words of encouragement, or simply being a friend in times of need.”
The fundraiser has been updated to include gratitude from the family for the support they have received. The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/f/support-the-family-of-amy-roeder-after-her-tragic-passing.