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Ottawa police have made another arrest in a November home invasion during which shots were fired.
Michael A. Boaz Jr., 20, of Ottawa, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon on a sealed warrant.
On Thursday, Boaz appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with two felony charges led by home invasion with a firearm, a Class X felony carrying six to 30 years in prison plus 15 years because a firearm was used during the commission of the offense.
According to the now-unsealed criminal information, Boaz is alleged to have participated in a Nov. 2 break-in at a residence in the 1100 block of Pine Street in Ottawa. A female resident told police that one of the intruders held a gun to her head and ordered her to divulge the combination to a locked safe.
La Salle County Circuit Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia ordered Boaz detained in the La Salle County Jail, citing the potential risk to the public.
Boaz will next appear for arraignment, accompanied by a public defender, on Jan. 25.
(Boaz faces an additional charge of burglary for an Oct. 9 break-in at a Grand Ridge tavern.)
Boaz is the second individual charged in the armed home invasion. Previously, 20-year-old Fernando J. Martinez was charged with home invasion, although he is subject to a 20-year enhancement because his firearm was discharged.
According to open-court statements, the female resident reported hearing at least one suspect enter the home and told police that she sent for her boyfriend, who arrived armed. The boyfriend exchanged fire with one of the intruders, who fled to evade capture.
However, Martinez later was found at Morris Hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm.
Martinez was uncooperative but nonetheless linked to the break-in through video surveillance. At the time, Martinez was on parole for an aggravated battery conviction and had been granted pretrial release in a pending auto burglary case.
Martinez is set for trial Jan. 29. A woman who allegedly lied to police to thwart the investigation, 20-year-old Kaylee Neitzel of Ottawa, is charged with felony obstructing justice and awaits a trial setting Jan. 11.