Court Call: Dixon murder defendant in court Thursday

Comments (...) | Add Comments

E-mail this story

Print this story

Comments

Share

Lee County

Thursday

Byron Adams, 51, of Chicago; charged with three counts of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal trespass to a vehicle, a misdemeanor. Police say Adams suffocated Margaret Atherton, 35, in her Dixon home on Sept. 11.

On the docket: Pretrial conference, during which the judge and attorneys will discuss matters concerning the case and to set a trial schedule. His attorney, Paul Whitcombe, has filed motions for a judge substitution and to dismiss the grand jury indictment against Adams. Those issues are expected to be discussed at the pretrial conference.

Ronald Gapski, 49, of Dixon; charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault for allegedly molesting a teen boy in early May. It took police a month to find him – they tracked him to a house in Wisconsin, where a 4-hour standoff with police ensued.

On the docket: Pretrial conference.

Daniel Garza, 25, of Amboy; charged with criminal sexual abuse, home invasion, and aggravated battery. He also is charged with resisting or obstructing a peace officer and unlawful possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors. In late June, he allegedly broke into a woman’s house, fondled her, then got into a scuffle with police.

On the docket: Motion hearing to separately try only those charges related to the alleged home invasion and sexual assault and those charges stemming from the alleged fight with police.

Jamie Hunt, 34, of Sterling; charged with 5 counts of bringing contraband into a penal institution.

Prosecutors say Hunt, a correctional officer, allegedly on at least five occasions smuggled his cell phone into the Dixon Correctional Center and let inmates make phone calls.

On the docket: Pretrial conference.

William Naylor, 33, of Dixon; charged with armed violence, aggravated battery and resisting a peace officer. He allegedly stabbed a Dixon police officer with a used syringe while he was being involuntarily committed to KSB Hospital for a mental evaluation.

On the docket: Pretrial conference.

Lucas Penwarden, 19, of Franklin Grove; charged with criminal sexual assault for allegedly forcing sex on a teen boy in February.

On the docket: Pretrial conference.

Whiteside County

Tuesday

Eric Smith, 29, of Rock Falls; charged with being an armed habitual criminal and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. He allegedly hid guns police say his cousin, Nicholas Sheley, stole from a Rock Falls house in late June.

On the docket: Motion to suppress statements.

Friday

Joshua Sheley, 31, of Rock Falls; charged with concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice. In late June, he allegedly helped his brother, Nicholas Sheley, conceal the body of Russell Reed, 93, of rural Sterling.

On the docket: Pretrial conference.

Comments    

Add Comments

Report Abuse

We have changed our registration and comment module, so all registered users will need to register again in order to post comments. We apologize for the inconvenience.

You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your name will be posted with the comments.

Registered users sign in here:

Become a Registered User

*Member ID: *Password:   Forgot Your Password?

Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts! Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required! Note: A representative from the newspaper will call you on the phone number(s) you provide to verify your account. *Create a Member ID: *Choose a password: *Re-enter password: *First name: *Last name: *Daytime phone: *Evening phone: *E-mail Address: *Your age: 13-2021-3031-4041-6061-8081-100100-   (children under 13 cannot register) *Zip Code: Do you wish to receive Breaking News alert emails? YesNo *Do you currently subscribe to or receive a Sauk Valley Newspaper publication? YesNo If, yes, which publications:(check all that apply) Dixon Telegraph Daily Gazette From time-to-time, we may send you e-mail announcements on new features, products and services from Sauk Valley Newspapers and selected advertisers and affiliates. Sending you occasional advertising and announcements is necessary for us to continue providing our rich news content. We will try to limit the amount of advertising you receive. Information is used as described in our Privacy Policy. Some advertisers may prefer to contact you directly. Please check this box if you prefer not to be e-mailed directly by advertisers unaffiliated with Sauk Valley Newspapers. Note you may continue to receive certain other e-mail from Sauk Valley Newspapers and our affiliates as described in our Privacy Policy. * I agree to Sauk Valley Newspaper's terms of service. Security Image: