Court Call for Monday, Dec. 17, 2012
LEE COUNTY
Today
HOMICIDE CASE: Byron E. Adams, 54, of Chicago; convicted Oct. 9 of first-degree murder for suffocating Margaret Atherton, 35, on Sept. 11, 2009, in her Dixon home.
On the docket: Sentencing. He faces 20 to 60 years.
Wednesday
THEFT CASE: Rita Crundwell, 59, of Dixon; charged with 60 counts of theft. Prosecutors say the ousted Dixon comptroller stole $11.3 in city funds between Jan. 1, 2010 and April 17.
She has been convicted in federal court of wire fraud in connection with the misappropriation of $53 million in city funds since 1990. She will be sentenced Feb. 14 in that case.
On the docket: Pretrial conference, during which the judge and attorneys will discuss matters concerning the case and set a trial schedule.
BURGLARY CASE: Mitchell R. Jacobson, 25, of Rochelle; charged with three counts of burglary and obstructing identification, a misdemeanor. Police say Mitchell broke into an Ashton bar on Nov. 19 with Landon S. Kempson, 20, of Kings, and also broke into an Ashton auto dealership and a grocery store on Nov. 9.
On the docket: Preliminary hearing, at which evidence is presented to the judge to determine whether there is enough to justify a trial.
ROBBERY/BATTERY CASE: Patrick M. Linscott, 23, of Dixon; charged with robbery and aggravated battery.
Police say Linscott and three others battered a drug dealer and hit him with a car on Aug. 31.
On the docket: Preliminary hearing.
SEX ABUSE CASE: George M. Munnich, 55, of Ashton; charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Prosecutors say Munnich fondled a girl younger than 18 on Dec. 20, 2009.
On the docket: Preliminary hearing.
BATTERY CASE: Christopher C. Owens, 20, of Dixon; charged with four counts of aggravated arson and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. Police say Owens set an apartment building on fire Sept. 20 after getting into a fight outside the building with a resident.
On the docket: Status hearing.
Thursday
BURGLARY CASE: Ethan Seidel, 23; charged with burglary. Police say Seidel and two other men broke into Cash for Gold in Dixon on April 19 and stole a safe.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
BURGLARY CASE: Landon S. Kempson, 20, of Kings; charged with burglary. Police say he and another man broke into an Ashton bar Nov. 19 with Mitchell R. Jacobson, 25, of Rochelle; and stole bottles of alcohol.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
ROBBERY/BATTERY CASE: Samantha J. Thomas, 19, of Dixon; charged with aggravated robbery, robbery, and aggravated battery.
Police say Thomas and three men battered a drug dealer and hit him with a car on Aug. 31.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
HOME INVASION/RAPE CASE: Jeffrey K. Mischler, 27, of Hinckley; charged with home invasion and criminal sexual assault.
Police say Mischler broke into a Dixon woman’s house on May 26, 2011, and raped her while she was passed out after a night of drinking.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
ARMED ROBBERY CASE: Donte Myles, 25, of Chicago; charged with armed robbery. Police say Myles robbed a woman at knifepoint on April 2 and took more than $1,000.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
SEX ABUSE CASE: Richard D. Nelson, 71, of Harmon; charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Police say Nelson sexually abused a 14-year-old girl in 2010.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
COCAINE CASE: Pedro Ocampo, 30, Of Mount Morris; charged with four counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a church, unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
During a traffic stop on Aug. 15, 2010, police say theefound about 6.5 grams of cocaine with a street value of between $400 and $500 on Ocampo.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
OGLE COUNTY
Today
HEROIN CASE: Holly E. Sheley, 34, of Oregon; charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. Police say Sheley sold about $20 worth of heroin to an informant on Aug. 17.
On the docket: Pretrial conference.
WHITESIDE COUNTY
Wednesday
SHOOTING CASE: Octavius L. Zackery, 35, of Sterling; charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of weapons, and possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, a misdemeanor.
Police say Zackery shot a 29-year-old Sterling man in the hip during an argument on Nov. 17.
On the docket: Arraignment, in which a defendant is formally charged with an offense.
Thursday
SEX ASSAULT CASE: Richard M. Fonder, 25, of Sterling; charged with criminal sexual assault. A 20-year-old woman told police on Nov. 25 that Fonder assaulted her during a party.
On the docket: Preliminary hearing.