Felon accused of attempted murder in Woodstock for shooting at car of stranger, authorities allege

A Woodstock man was charged Tuesday with attempted first-degree murder, a crime that he’s accused of committing while on probation and pretrial release in two separate cases.

Authorities allege that about midnight Monday, Jason Spitzer, 39, shot a pistol four times at another man who was driving a vehicle in a residential area. Spitzer also is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm in the direction of another person or occupied vehicle, and unlawful use or possession of weapons or ammunition by a convicted felon, according to the criminal complaint on file in McHenry County court.

In addition to the Class X felony charge that could send him to prison up to 30 years if he’s convicted, Spitzer and Lauren Sounde, 39, both of the 600 block of McHenry Avenue, each are facing related drug charges. Spitzer and Sounde each are charged with delivering or possessing with the intent to deliver 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, Class X felonies, while Sounde also is charged with manufacturing or delivering psilocybin mushrooms, according to court records and prosecutors.

Both appeared in an initial court hearing Wednesday before separate judges and were ordered detained in the McHenry County jail pretrial.

Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Gregorowicz argued before Judge Michael Zasadil that Spitzer is a threat to the individual he allegedly shot at, whom he did not know, and the community. Gregorowicz said Spitzer was seen on a home security video that captured him shooting a pistol at the vehicle as it drove away in the 600 block of Park Street in Woodstock. Two of the shots hit the vehicle, four shell casings were recovered at the scene, and Spitzer admitted to police that he shot at the vehicle, Gregorowicz said.

A search of the apartment that Spitzer and Sounde share turned up 40 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale and “a high quantity of drug-packaging materials [including] several clear plastic bags, some of which already contained methamphetamine,” according to the complaint and Gregorowicz.

Police also found batteries used to make methamphetamine and a black and blue Taurus G3 handgun, magazines and ammunition, Gregorowicz said. The gun was legally owned by Sounde, but she gave it to Spitzer, who is a felon, the prosecutor said.

In Sounde’s purse, police found “one clear plastic bag containing two plastic bags that each contained psilocybin mushrooms with a total weight of approximately 22 grams,” according to the complaint and Gregorowicz.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for the couple’s release and said that just because there were drugs found at the residence, that does not mean they intended to sell the drugs.

The state has presented “no evidence of deals or attempts” to sell drugs, Giesinger said. Spitzer has a substance abuse problem, the public defender said, and if released from jail and put on home confinement, he can get treatment. But Gregorowicz countered that drug users also can be dealers.

Giesinger said the incident began when Spitzer confronted the man who was banging on someone’s door. It is unclear whose door it was. He also said he believes there are more facts to this case than what was presented during the hearing. He said there has been no evidence indicating that Sounde “gave” Spitzer the gun.

At the time of the alleged shooting, Spitzer was serving probation for a 2023 conviction of possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, according to court documents. This conviction makes it illegal for him to possess a firearm. He also was on pretrial release for a new case filed in June. In that case, he was charged with unlawful possession of 5 grams of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a registration light, according to the indictment. Gregorowicz said that with Spitzer’s criminal history, he could not be expected to follow any conditions of his release.

Gregorowicz also said police found what they believe to be LSD paper tabs. Although they did not field-test positive for LSD, they are being tested by Illinois State Police, he said.

In ordering Spitzer to be detained, Zasadil agreed with the prosecutor that Spitzer is a danger and his criminal history has shown “nothing can mitigate” his dangerousness.

Judge Carl Metz, who presided over Sounde’s hearing, detained her, saying that she is a threat and that “the court has seen the deadliness of meth, has seen drug-induced homicides as a result of meth.” The amount of drugs found in the apartment is “well beyond personalized use,” Metz said.