Sycamore men sentenced to 30 days in jail, probation

DeKALB – Two Sycamore men accused of holding a knife to a man’s throat and robbing him of $100 worth of marijuana both pleaded guilty to theft Tuesday.

Tanner Young, 17, of the 1500 block of Woodgate Drive, and Jeremy Schwiesow, 19, of the 1300 block of John Street, were each sentenced to 30 days in the DeKalb County Jail and 30 months’ probation.

Prosecutors dropped the more serious charge the men were facing – armed robbery – in exchange for the guilty pleas.

Young and Schwiesow are not allowed to drink alcohol or have any contact with the victim, court records show.

According to police reports, Schwiesow arranged to purchase a quarter-ounce of marijuana from the victim July 3 but never intended to pay for it. Instead, he had Young hide in the back of his red Pontiac Vibe with a knife.

The victim, a Sycamore resident, sat in the front passenger seat, and once Schwiesow had the marijuana, Schwiesow gave a signal and Young held the knife to the man’s throat, police said.

The two-page police synopsis didn’t mention what ultimately happened to the drugs, but police retrieved the knife allegedly used in the robbery from Schwiesow’s father’s dresser drawer.

The victim gave police the description of the vehicle and the suspects’ names, court records show. Both suspects talked with police after acknowledging their Miranda rights.

Young is to report to jail Feb. 24 to serve his 30-day sentence and will receive credit for eight days he has already served. Schwiesow was ordered to report to jail March 18 and will receive credit for three days he has served.

Prosecutors and police chose not to pursue any charges against the victim.