Man charged in Marengo drive-by shooting pleads guilty

One of two people charged last year in connection with what Marengo police described as a drive-by shooting where two children were in the vehicle pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Jacob A. Mains, 25, of Belvidere, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, a judgment order filed in McHenry County shows. In exchange for his guilty plea, additional charges, including possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of endangering the life or health of a child, were dismissed, according to the order.

Mains is required to serve 85% of the prison term and will receive credit for 364 days already spent in the county jail plus six days, a half-day for each day working, volunteering or participating in a self-improvement program, according to the order. When released, he will be on two years of mandatory supervised release.

Charges in connection with the shooting against Jennifer M. Luttrell, 37, of Marengo, are pending. She is charged with three counts of endangering the life or health of a child and obstructing justice, court records show. Luttrell is due in court Nov. 26 for status, and a trial is set Dec. 9.

The cases stem from a shooting police said occurred about 9 p.m. Oct. 26, 2023, after the report of a person with a gun in the 500 block of Kennedy Drive. Marengo officers and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said they found “multiple bullet holes in the exterior of a residence and were unable to make contact with anyone there,” according to a news release.

Belvidere police eventually made contact with a person who had injuries that were not life-threatening. Police said they determined the injuries might have occurred at the Marengo home, according to the release.

Marengo police at the time thought a man had pistol-whipped a woman at the Marengo home and left. He allegedly then drove back and fired “multiple rounds at the residence” before leaving the scene, police said.

Two children were in the car at the time, ages 3 and 13, according to court documents. Charges were filed against Mains and Luttrell, and the pair was arrested a month after the shooting, records show.