Holly Sheley back in Whiteside jail

STERLING – Holly Sheley, wife of murder defendant Nicholas Sheley, is in Whiteside County jail for the third time in a little more than a month, this time accused of breaking into a van early Monday morning.

Sheley, 31, of Sterling was arrested around 2:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Second Avenue and charged with burglary, punishable by 3 to 7 years in prison.

While on patrol early Monday morning, Sterling police officers saw two people breaking into an unlocked Ford van parked on the street in front of a home.The two ran when they saw police, Detective Sgt. Tim Morgan said.

The officers followed one suspect and found Sheley hiding on the front porch of a nearby house. She had several CDs and the faceplate from the van’s stereo, Morgan said.

Police did not get a description of the second suspect, but said that the person was wearing a dark-colored jacket with a hood.

Sheley’s bond was set Monday at $250,000; her preliminary hearing is Thursday.

Sheley also was arrested March 31 on an Ogle County warrant for failing to appear in court and pay fees on a 2002 forgery case. She was released on a $1,000 recognizance bond Wednesday.

In 2002, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison for stealing two checks totaling $450 and cashing them at banks in Byron and Mount Morris. She was ordered to pay more than $2,000 in restitution and court fees.

She also was released from jail in late February after serving 2 months for driving under the influence. While in jail, she wrote a four-page letter to Sauk Valley Newspapers saying she and her kids deserve a portion of the reward money offered for her husband’s capture.

Nicholas Sheley, 29, went on a 6-day, two-state killing spree in late June that left eight people dead, investigators say.