Death investigation leads to meth, illegal gun possession charges against McHenry man

The owner of the McHenry home searched Thursday as part of a DuPage County murder investigation was charged Saturday with illegally possessing methamphetamine, marijuana and two guns.

A search warrant was conducted Thursday at the home Luis E. Rangel, 26, at 1409 N. Chapel Hill Road in McHenry where officers found 447.8 grams of methamphetamine, 4,537 grams of marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun and a rifle that didn’t have a serial number, prosecutors said in court documents Saturday.

Investigators were at the home as part of a death investigation by the DuPage County Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team, authorities have said.

Francisco A. Maldanado, 31, of Round Lake Beach, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the case. He is accused of shooting Francisco J. Zavala, 26, of also Round Lake Beach, 11 times on a January night at a forest preserve in DuPage County, authorities said.

Rangel, who is not charged in connection with Zavala’s death, is charged with possession and possession with intent to deliver between 400 and 900 grams of methamphetamine, possession and possession with intent to deliver 2,000 to 5,000 grams of marijuana, and two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification car, according to the complaint.

The methamphetamine possession charges are Class X felonies, which if convicted of, typically carry sentences of six to 30 years in prison.

McHenry County prosecutors asked the source of any bond funds be determined to ensure they are not tied to drug trafficking or another illegal source. That request was granted Saturday.

Rangel is next up in court for a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning. Rangel remained at the McHenry County Jail as of Monday morning.

The McHenry County Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Rangel on bond matters. He did not have a private attorney listed as of Monday morning.