No release for Ottawa man charged with robbery

An Ottawa man facing robbery and domestic battery was ordered detained Monday until his trial, now set for Jan. 22.

Dezzan D. Phillips, 32, also listed as a resident of Streator, was picked up Thursday on the two felony charges in the 100 block of West Madison Street in Ottawa by the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force from the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office.

His no-bond warrant was, however, subject to a detention hearing in La Salle County Court held Monday. The SAFE-T Act abolished cash bond and now means suspects are ordered detained or released on a case-by-case basis.

Phillips appeared Monday with Public Defender Ryan Hamer, who argued for release on the grounds that Phillips has been “doing very well” since being placed on probation in march and has been working to support a newborn son. Hamer said Phillips is eligible for probation on the current charges and would be willing to comply with any terms of pre-trial release.

In response, Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Kelley Porter said prosecutors are preparing a petition to revoke Phillips’ probation for skipping required appointments and for a positive drug test. Porter also alleged Phillips physically attacked the victim despite her efforts to keep him at arm’s length.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. declined to release Phillips from jail, citing in part Phillips’ criminal history. Phillips was sentenced to prison in 2018 for involuntary manslaughter for a bar fight that killed Nicholas Puyear of Peru on Nov. 10, 2017, in La Salle.

Ryan then set trial dates. Phillips will next appear for a motions hearing on Jan. 12.

Robbery is a Class 2 felony carrying three to seven years. Domestic battery, elevated from a misdemeanor because of Phillips’ record, is a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years.