McHenry man charged in drug-related kidnapping takes plea deal

A McHenry man was sentenced to jail and probation Friday in connection with a 2016 kidnapping that resulted from what police have called a “drug transaction that went bad.” 

Alejandro Diaz, 22, accepted an offer from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office and pleaded guilty to kidnapping and theft in connection with a 2016 incident that landed the man and two others in jail. 

Diaz, of the 3200 block of Bull Valley Road, McHenry, was sentenced to 180 days in the McHenry County Jail and 1½ years of probation, McHenry County court records show. 

The charges stemmed from a Jan. 10, 2016, incident that began when a 13- and 14-year-old tried to buy marijuana from one of the three men – Diaz, 21-year-old Tyler Chrisman and 22-year-old Israel Lopez, authorities have said. 

The men, however, took the money and left without handing over the drugs, police said at the time. 

Later that day, the 13-year-old took an unspecified amount of marijuana from the men before taking off without paying, police said. 

Lopez, Diaz and Chrisman were accused of chasing the 13-year-old into an apartment, where they allegedly stole a laptop, Bluetooth speaker and Nike Force shoes, according to a complaint filed in McHenry County court. 

The men caught and threatened the 14-year-old into Lopez’s Lexus using what originally was believed to be two handguns, but later turned out to be BB guns, prosecutors said. 

Lopez is serving a two-year prison sentence for his involvement after pleading guilty to unlawful restraint last year.  Prosecutors dropped the 2016 charges against Chrisman in June when he accepted a plea deal in a 2017 case.  He is serving a one-year prison sentence for mob action.