Judge says man beat woman with ‘sheer brutality’ in Woodstock, jails him pretrial on battery charges

A Wisconsin man accused of beating a female relative with “sheer brutality” during an altercation in a Woodstock home appeared in court Friday and asked for a speedy trial.

Jacob Howard, 23, of Beloit, Wisconsin, is charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal damage to property, both Class A misdemeanors, according to a complaint filed in McHenry County court. Sentencing on a conviction of a Class A misdemeanor is up to one year in the county jail and fines of $2,500.

Howard was arrested and charged Sept. 3 and appeared in an initial court hearing the next day, during which Assistant State’s Attorney Julio Cantre argued that Howard poses a danger to the alleged victim as well as to emergency responders, referencing a 2022 case in Wisconsin in which Cantre said Howard was charged with aggravated battery of an emergency medical services worker.

Cantre said Howard has a history of violent behavior, had been kicked out of his family’s home in Wisconsin and was staying at the home of a family friend in Woodstock. The person he was staying with, a woman in her 60s, told one of Howard’s family members that he was stressing and “terrorizing” her, authorities said. The family member went to the Woodstock home to talk to Howard when, Cantre said, Howard turned violent.

Cantre alleged that Howard punched the woman, that she fell to the ground and that Howard then got on her back and began “pummeling” her. Cantre said that the woman, who was in the courtroom during the hearing but did not speak, told police that, when asked the number of times Howard punched her in the head, she stopped counting at 15. At one point, the woman told authorities, she felt a burning sensation in her head and she thought “he was going to break [her] head open,” Cantre said.

Howard then allegedly stood up, used the wall for support, and began kicking the woman, who is in her 50s, Cantre said. The woman’s left eye was still swollen shut during the hearing. Howard also is accused of breaking her phone and glasses, Cantre said.

Someone who was at the home during the altercation videotaped the incident, and Judge Carl Metz watched part of the video during the hearing. In it, a woman can be heard screaming and saying, “Call the police, please” and “You’re going to jail.”

Cantre said Howard has nowhere to live, and there is no way of tracking him to keep the woman safe. He also said Howard posted pictures of a firearm on his social media, indicating that he has access to firearms.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued that Howard be released with conditions including GPS and electric monitoring. Giesinger argued that Howard be allowed to return to Walworth, Wisconsin, where he would have housing through a housing authority. Giesinger said Howard suffers from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, for which he needs access to medications and collects Supplemental Security Income.

The altercation occurred, Giesinger said, because the woman had taken Howard’s phone away, and he was trying to get his phone back when he hit her. The video shows that when he got the phone, he started walking away, the defense attorney said.

Giesinger also said the guns shown on Howard’s social media are BB guns, and he has no access to firearms. And, although he has had past charges of aggravated battery to first responders, this time there is no evidence he was uncooperative, Giesinger said.

Cantre said information as to where Howard would live is “ambiguous,” and being detained in the county jail would ensure he gets his medications. The prosecutor also said a BB gun should be considered an element of dangerousness.

Metz noted the woman’s injuries and that Howard allegedly “stomped on her head.” The judge said he agreed with the prosecutor that Howard is a danger. Metz addressed what he called the “sheer brutality” of the attack, Howard’s “inability to restrain himself” and his “violent history.”

The judge said no conditions, including GPS or electronic monitoring, could mitigate his dangerousness. It’s relatively unusual for defendants to be held on misdemeanor charges.