Search continues for suspect in death of 93-year-old man

Eric Smith and Josh Sheley. Both are believed to have been in contact with Nicholas Sheley since Thursday, but they are not suspects in Russell Reed's death.

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STERLING - As the manhunt for fugitive Nicholas Sheley entered a third day Saturday, a cousin and brother of Sheley who police said have been in contact with him since Thursday are both in custody.

Eric A. Smith, 28, whom investigators said was in contact with Sheley more than once over the last 3 days, is charged with obstructing justice for allegedly driving Sheley around to "get rid of some things," said Sheriff Roger Schipper.

Smith, a cousin of Sheley, turned himself in Friday night .

As of Saturday night, he remained in the custody of the Whiteside County Sheriff's Department.

Schipper said Smith is not considered a suspect in the death of Russell R. Reed, 93, 16664 Blue Goose Road, who was found Thursday afternoon in the trunk of his 2003 Buick Century. Reed and his car had been missing over the previous several days, police said.

Whiteside County Coroner Joe McDonald said Reed died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest.

Smith is out on parole for a 2002 burglary in Whiteside County, in which he served 5 years of a 10-year sentence. In January, Smith pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 30 months probation and 180 days in jail. In 1999, Smith was sentenced to 5 years in prison for robbery and residential burglary. In 1998, he was convicted of burglary in Lee County and damage to property in Whiteside County and was sentenced to 4 years and 2 years in prison, respectively.

Police also arrested Sheley's brother, Josh, 31, who has been on parole since April, on a Department of Corrections parole hold. He is also in the Whiteside County Jail.

Josh Sheley, who lives in the 1700 block of Griswold Avenue where Reed's car was found, was arrested Thursday night by Sterling Police officers during a traffic stop on the corner of Broadway and Third street, Schipper said.

Josh Sheley also is not considered a suspect in Reed's death, but is related to the case, Schipper said.

Josh Sheley, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2004 for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, was paroled in April. In 2002, he was sentenced to 42 months boot camp for possession of a controlled substance and aggravated fleeing. In 1997, he was sentenced to 2 years in prison for violating his probation on a mob action charge.

Nick Sheley, the subject of a massive Lee and Whiteside county manhunt since Reed's body was discovered, has not been captured as of Saturday night.

Sheley, a longtime criminal who was involved in the 2006 murder of a Rock Falls man, is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, police said.

He has been spotted by and eluded police several times, including early Friday morning, when he was chased from Dixon, ditched the allegedly stolen Lincoln he was driving in a field, and fled on foot. Police believe he stole a Jeep a short time later. The Jeep has not been recovered, and police are investigating other possible leads, Schipper said.

Sheley also is accused of ransacking a home on South Ridge Road in Rock Falls, stealing two loaded handguns, some cash and miscellaneous items, as well as a 1999 Lincoln Continental, Schipper said.

The incident began when family members grew concerned when they noticed Thursday that Reed had not checked his mail or picked up his newspaper for 2 days, and that his car was missing. They called Whiteside County Sheriff's officials, who came to the home and found blood in the kitchen, garage and outside the house, Schipper said.

Sheley's car, an older Cadillac, was found at Reed's home. Deputies sent an alert asking area law officers to keep an eye out for Reed's car, which was found that afternoon.

The Whiteside County Emergency Response Team responded and searched two homes, but Sheley was not in the house where Reed's car was found, nor was he in a home at the corner of Second Street and Sixth Avenue.

Police called off the search on Griswold at about 6 p.m.

In the meantime, an off-duty Rock Falls police officer spotted Sheley in the Lincoln, about 45 minutes before the owner reported it stolen.

About 9:45 p.m., Dixon Police saw the Lincoln in the 400 block of East River Street. They chased it to a field south of Harmon, but when they arrived, Sheley had fled, Chief Dan Langloss said.

Officers found money and other items taken from the Rock Falls home, but not the guns, Schipper said.

Dixon, Sterling and Amboy police, Lee and Whiteside sheriff's officials and State Police searched all night using dogs and a helicopter, but Sheley was not found.

About 7 a.m., Lee County Sheriff's Department received a call about a red Jeep Cherokee, license plate 820-1126, that was stolen from a house in the 400 block of Van Petten Road, about 1.5 miles from where the dogs last tracked Sheley. A pair of muddy jeans was found alongside the road, Schipper said.

Sheley was out on bond in a 2007 alleged home invasion when police identified him as a suspect in another that occurred June 14 in Sterling. He allegedly pushed his way into the home of a 90-year-old woman, forced her to write checks and took some cash, Sterling Police Lt. Doug Fargher said.

When police couldn't find him, they issued a warrant Monday for his arrest. Bond in that case is $750,000.

In November 2006, Sheley also was charged with home invasion and aggravated battery for allegedly entering the home of Douglas Keefer, 46, of Rock Falls, putting a knife to his neck and threatening to cut his throat.

He also was charged with armed robbery for allegedly using a knife to steal six bags of cocaine from Christopher Cornell, 22, of Calumet City.

After Sheley left the house, Keefer and Cornell argued over Sheley. Keefer later was beaten to death by Cornell's associate, Ivan Johnson, 20, of Chicago.

Charges against Sheley were dropped when Cornell couldn't be found to testify.