10-hour standoff ends with arrest of man wanted on Whiteside County warrant in Rock Falls shooting case

MORRISON — A man wanted on a Whiteside County warrant in connection with a shooting in Rock Falls last week has been taken into custody.

Johnathon P. Parker, 40, was taken into custody Saturday night in the 1600 block of Riverdale Road, Rock Falls, after a 10-hour standoff over two days with police, according to Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker. Parker, who police had said was armed and dangerous, was wanted on a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with an Oct. 28 shooting in Rock Falls.

Booker said Whiteside County deputies early Friday afternoon acted on an anonymous tip that Parker was walking on Galt Road in rural Sterling. Deputies arrived in the area and saw a man walking east on Lincolnway on the edge of a tree line. Once the man saw deputies, he took off running toward the timber, Booker said.

Deputies chased him on foot, and that’s when the man slid down the river bank and into the Rock River, Booker said.

Deputies then deployed a drone and saw a man, believed to be in his mid-30s, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and a red hat, swim across the river, Booker said, and the man was tracked by the drone operator until he exited the water and into the wooded timber.

Police set up a perimeter, and within a short time a massive search was done on both land and water, Booker said.

Police dogs, a drone and boats were used to search for about four hours, Booker said, and the man’s clothing was recovered during the search.

Authorities did determine the man was Parker, who was wanted on a Whiteside County arrest warrant for aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class X felony, police said said.

Parker was wanted on the warrant in connection with a shooting that happened around 2:15 a.m. Oct. 28 in the 900 block of West Fifth Street, Rock Falls. Police were dispatched there on a report of a person who had been shot. When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound inside a residence, according to a news release. The initial investigation showed the man was shot outside the residence and that the shooter fled on foot. The injured person was taken to CGH Medical Center for treatment of an injury that was not life-threatening, according to police.

Just three days prior to the Rock Falls shooting, Parker was being held in the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison on charges of violating probation in a 2021 stolen vehicle case. He had pleaded guilty in April 2022 to possession of a stolen vehicle and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 24 months of probation. He appeared in custody Oct. 25 at the Whiteside County Courthouse and was released subject to a prior pretrial release conditions order.

Around 8:35 p.m. Saturday, Whiteside County deputies received information from an anonymous tip that Parker was hiding in a trailer at 1600 Riverdale Road, Rock Falls, police said.

A perimeter was set up and several hours of negotiating took place with negative results, Booker said. A search warrant was obtained and the Illinois State Police Swat Team was contacted. The area was secured until Illinois state troopers arrived.

After negotiations with Illinois State Police, Parker exited the trailer and was taken into custody without incident, Booker said. During the two days, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Sterling, Rock Falls, Morrison and Prophetstown police departments, the Illinois State Police, the Whiteside County State’s Attorney Office, the Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments and CGH Ambulance Service.

Parker is currently in the Whiteside County Jail as the result of a detention hearing in which prosecutors’ request to deny him pretrial release was granted. He is set to be in Whiteside County Circuit Court on Nov. 22 for a pretrial conference.