A Chicago man who Wilmette police said was selling methamphetamines in the parking lot of a west Wilmette shopping center — allegedly while his young sons were in the car — now faces multiple felony charges in the Nov. 13 incident.
Melencio Alberto II, 45, of the 2200 block of West Winnemac Street in Chicago, faces at least eight felony drug charges stemming from his arrest, Wilmette police Cmdr. Patrick Collins said Monday.
Police said investigators following up on a tip about someone selling drugs in the Westlake Plaza parking lot arrested Alberto there shortly before 8 p.m. Nov. 13 in the lot, 3215 Lake Ave.
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At the time, Alberto’s two sons, ages 8 and 10, were in the car, police said.
According to police, the charges Alberto faces include possession and delivery of between 15 and 100 grams of methamphetamine; possession, manufacture or delivery of cocaine; and manufacture or delivery of cocaine near a school or park.
Collins said he did not know which park or school the incident was alleged to have been near. Illinois state law allows increased penalties for drug sales within 1,000 feet of schools and parks.
The rest of the charges were felony charges of possessing controlled substances. Which substances weren’t specified, however, police reported that investigators who seized Alberto’s car later found a secret compartment in it, hiding what police said were heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine.
Alberto’s sons were turned over to relatives following his arrest, police said.
Alberto, who police said was on parole for a previous methamphetamine delivery conviction at the time of his arrest, was being held at the Metropolitan Correction Center on a $100,000 bond, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
The initial police report didn’t indicate when or where Alberto had been previously charged and convicted.
Alberto is set to appear Nov. 29 in Cook County court in Skokie.
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