Court Call: A roundup of some of this week's Sauk Valley court cases
FEDERAL COURT IN ROCKFORD
Wednesday
WIRE FRAUD CASE: Rita A. Crundwell, 59, of Dixon; charged with wire fraud. Prosecutors say the former Dixon comptroller misappropriated more than $53 million between 1990 and her arrest in April. They also filed a lawsuit seeking to seize and sell her assets.
On the docket: Status hearing in both cases.
LEE COUNTY
Wednesday
MURDER/CHILD BATTERY CASE: Tiffany D. Fassler, 36, of Dixon; charged with first-degree murder and four counts of aggravated battery of a child. Police say she kicked her 6-year-old stepson in the chest on Dec. 30, 2010, which caused him to hit his head on a bathroom vanity. He suffered serious brain damage and died nearly a year later.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
Thursday
OBSTRUCTION/DOMESTIC BATTERY CASE: Clayton M. Bonnell, 29, of Dixon; charged with aggravated domestic battery, obstructing justice, and misdemeanor domestic battery. Police say Bonnell pushed Suzanne A. Boyer, 38, down the stairs on Jan. 21, but they told police an intruder broke into her home and pushed her. Boyer is charged with obstructing justice.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
DRUG CASE: Adam L. Brand, 29, of Dixon; charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of public housing, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of firearm ammunition without a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, and possession of marijuana.
Police say a raid on Brand’s house on April 1 turned up two .22-caliber rifles, $5,000 in cash, 3 grams of cocaine, cocaine cutting agent, boxes of sandwich bags and 500 smaller bags.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
SEX ABUSE/EXPLOITATION CASE: Christopher S. Brown, 19, of Amboy. Brown, a registered sex offender, charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of sexual exploitation. Police say he engaged in sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl between May and July, at least twice in front of an 11-year-old girl.
On the docket: Pretrial conference in both cases.
RECKLESS DISCHARGE CASE: Daniel M. Cornelius, 33, of Dixon; charged with reckless discharge of a firearm. Police say Cornelius shot a 12-gauge shotgun in the air after confronting a newspaper carrier Aug. 14.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
SEX ABUSE/SEX ASSAULT CASE:Douglas P. Delhotal, 53, of Dixon; charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault and six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Police say he molested a 13-year-old girl several times between November 2009 and January 2010.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
CHILD BATTERY CASE: Eric L. Ellis, 28, of Dixon; charged with aggravated battery of a child and aggravated domestic battery. Police say Ellis punched a 2-year-old girl in the stomach on Aug. 2; she required surgery.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
SEX ASSAULT CASE:Russell A. Frey, 36, of Dixon; charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. Police say Frey had sex with a 12-year-old girl in late January and again in February.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
HOME INVASION CASE: David A. Jones, 37, of Dixon; charged with home invasion and criminal trespass to a residence, both felonies, and misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon and criminal damage to property.
Police say Jones went into a Dixon home through an unlocked window on July 28, found an ax and chopped through a door to a room in which occupants had locked themselves.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
BURGLARY CASE:Ethan T. Seidel, 23; charged with burglary. Police say Seidel and two other men broke into Cash for Gold, 112 S. Galena Ave., on April 19 and stole a safe.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
CREDIT CARD CASE: Holly E. Sheley, 34, of Oregon; charged with unlawful use of a credit card. Police say Sheley stole a Franklin Grove man’s credit card in September 2011 and used it to buy items in local stores and online.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
DOMESTIC BATTERY CASE: Moses D. Spears, 28, of Dixon; charged with aggravated domestic battery, felony and misdemeanor domestic battery, and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, also a misdemeanor. Police say Spears hit and choked his girlfriend on March 1, and grabbed the phone away when she tried to call police.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
Friday
CHILD PORN CASE: Ronald N. Osborn, 61, of rural Dixon; charged with six counts of aggravated child pornography. A search of Osborn’s computer on June 13 turned up multiple images of child pornography.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
