Lake in the Hills man violates protection order, enters home while woman slept, beats her again, police say

A Lake in the Hills man with a pending domestic battery case is accused of entering the alleged victim’s home “uninvited” while she slept and battering her again, despite an order of protection against him, authorities said.

Uriel Flores-Martinez, 30, of the 500 block of Blackhawk Drive, is charged with home invasion, a Class X felony, as well as two counts of domestic battery, interference with the reporting of domestic violence, violation of bail bond and theft, according to McHenry County jail records and Judge Carl Metz, who read Flores-Martinez’s charges during a pretrial hearing Thursday.

Authorities said the alleged home invasion and battery happened in May, but Flores-Martinez fled the residence before police arrived, and he was not arrested until Wednesday. That day, McHenry police were investigating a suspicious person in a city park who turned out to be driving a vehicle belonging to Flores-Martinez, authorities said. Officers learned that Flores-Martinez had an active warrant for his arrest issued by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh wrote in an email.

“The subject led officers to Uriel’s residence, where he was taken into custody without incident,” Walsh said.

At the time in May that Flores-Martinez allegedly entered the woman’s home while she slept and beat her, he was out on cash bond for a 2023 arrest involving the same woman. In that case, he was charged with two counts of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery, unlawful restraint, domestic battery and unlawful interference with the reporting of domestic violence, according to the indictment filed in McHenry County court and Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Gregorowicz.

Flores-Martinez now is accused of returning to the woman’s residence and battering her, Gregorowicz said. The woman, who had an order of protection against Flores-Martinez, told her son to call 911, the prosecutor said, adding that when police arrived, they took photos of the woman’s bruises.

Flores-Martinez has a “propensity for violence” and poses a threat to the victim, who was “in her own home sleeping at a time he came there uninvited,” Gregorowicz said. Given the new allegations occurred while Flores-Martinez was out on bond and a protection order was in place, the prosecutor argued that no conditions could be placed on Flores-Martinez if he were freed awaiting trial that could keep the woman safe. Flores-Martinez’s actions show he is “obsessive and controlling,” and his risk assessment evaluation in his first case showed that he is “a very high risk for reoffending,” and “that’s why we are here today,” Gregorowicz said.

The prosecutor did not detail the woman’s injuries.

In last year’s case, at 1:30 a.m. Aug. 11, Flores-Martinez allegedly struck the woman “several times in the face causing extensive bruising,” breaking her nose and causing a brain bleed, authorities said. He also is accused of trying to strangle the woman and preventing her from calling 911, according to the criminal complaint and indictment in that case. He is accused of detaining the woman by striking her “when she attempted to leave, threatened to kill her and repeatedly pulled her back into the bed,” according to the complaint.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for pretrial release with conditions. Flores-Martinez has a job and lives alone, and there are 13 ½ miles between his residence and the alleged victim, Giesinger said. Flores-Martinez has no firearms, and while he was out on cash bond – his 2023 case occurred before the SAFE-T Act – he was not wearing a GPS, so there has been no indication that he would violate release with conditions, including wearing a GPS device, Giesinger said.

Metz ruled that Flores-Martinez be detained, agreeing with prosecutors that he’s a danger to the alleged victim and that no conditions could mitigate that threat. The judge also said Flores-Martinez violated a permanent no-contact order already in place, now allegedly has “victimized” the woman twice and is “extremely violent in nature. ... He went to drastic measures to cause harm, allegedly, to the victim.”

Flores-Martinez is due back in court Aug. 1. If convicted on the Class X felony, he could face up to 30 years in prison or, if eligible for an extended term, he could face 60 years, Metz said.