Man freed, other on $50K bond in connection with shots-fired incident

SYCAMORE – An Aurora man is being held on $50,000 bond in DeKalb County jail while his apparent partner in a shots-fired crime, a Bartlett man, has been released on his signature.

Police say they found a loaded, uncased pistol early Saturday in the trunk of a vehicle belonging to Devonta Owens, 20, of the 1600 block of Colombia Drive in Bartlett. He and Montrell D. Brannon, 23, of the 200 block of Gregory Street in Aurora, are charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a defaced firearm.

A DeKalb officer was in an parking lot adjacent to the 900 block of Ridge Drive when he heard a gunshot, DeKalb Deputy Police Chief John Petragallo said.

The officer saw two groups of people who appeared to have been in a dispute run away. One group got into a vehicle and sped off, Petragallo said.

DeKalb County Judge Bradley Waller set bond Sunday morning at $50,000 for Brannon, who has a previous conviction for armed robbery with a firearm in Kane County, court records show.

Owens was released, but ordered to have no contact with Brannon or the scene of the crime, and that he surrender any guns he has, as well as his Firearm Owners Identification card, if he has one. Owens was convicted in 2017 of beating a pregnant woman in DuPage County, records show.

Assistant State’s Attorney Brooks Locke is prosecuting the case, and said he was not made aware of Owens’ criminal history before the bond hearing Sunday morning.

The DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office has been appointed to represent Owens and Brannon. A motion to reduce Brannon’s bond will be heard by Judge Philip Montgomery at 9 a.m. Nov. 20, court records show. Owens is due back in court at 9 a.m. Jan. 3.