Former Aurora Man Convicted Of Drug Charge Despite Absence At Trial Faces Prison

AURORA, IL - A former Aurora man tried to avoid drug conviction by fleeing right before his trial, but he was convicted by a jury despite his absence. And now he faces a mandatory prison term.

Rumaldo Anzaldua, a forty-year-old with a last known address on the 100 block of Dolores Street in Oswego, was convicted in absentia of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance by a Kane County jury on Tuesday, May 23, according to the Kane County State's Attorney.

Kane County prosecutors presented evidence that a co-defendant agreed to sell four ounces of cocaine to North Central Narcotics Task Force undercover officers in exchange for $3,500.

Task force officers met the co-defendant the evening of Dec. 12, 2012, outside a Spring Street residence in Aurora. And when Anzaldua arrived a short time later, he provided the co-defendant with the four ounces of cocaine for the sale, according to police reports.

When the co-defendant gave the cocaine to the officers, he and Anzaldua were arrested. The co-defendant pleaded guilty in 2014 to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Associate Judge Linda Abrahamson set Anzaldua’s next court appearance for 11 a.m. on June 6, 2017, for motions and sentencing. Anzaldua now faces a sentence of between nine and 40 years imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Anzaldua last appeared in court May 18. He failed to appear May 22 for the beginning of his trial and Judge Abrahamson issued a warrant for his arrest, officials said.

Photo via Office of the Kane County State’s Attorney