Ogle County judge denies release of Dixon man charged with attempted murder of three police officers

OREGON — A rural Dixon man charged with the attempted murder of three police officers at his residence in June will remain jailed despite extensive arguments made by the defense for his release.

Jonathon Gounaris, 32, is charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification card – all of which stem from a June 12 standoff with police in the rural Dixon subdivision of Lost Lake.

Gounaris has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford.

Ogle County Judge John “Ben” Roe has denied Gounaris’ pretrial release around a dozen times, citing the seriousness of the charges and community safety concerns. His release was initially denied by Judge Anthony Peska at a detention hearing June 20, 2024.

Monday afternoon, Gounaris appeared before Roe to hear his decision on the defense’s motion to reconsider detention. At the previous hearing on March 17, Public Defender Michael O’Brien argued for Gounaris’ release in order for him to receive adequate mental health treatment. He asserted that Gounaris’ “delusional” and “paranoid” mental state led to the June 12 standoff with police.

[ Dixon man charged with attempted murder of three police officers seeks release for mental health treatment ]

At 8:39 a.m. June 12, police were called to the residence with a warning that it could be a “suicide-by-cop” situation. The officers were informed that Gounaris had made suicidal and homicidal threats, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said at a news conference that afternoon.

[ Sheriff: Rural Dixon resident shoots 3 deputies after barricading himself in home at Lost Lake ]

Shortly after officers arrived, the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office’s Emergency Response Team was called. The ERT is made up of individuals from different agencies, including the sheriff’s office, Oregon and Byron police departments, and SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department.

Police made more than 60 attempted phone calls to the residence and deployed a throw phone inside the home before breaching the door at 11:53 a.m. Officers were immediately met with gunfire from inside the house, which ended in three deputies and Gounaris being shot, VanVickle said.

O’Brien’s argument for release largely hinged on his claim that arguments pertaining to the circumstances of the officers’ entry to the home were not made at the initial detention hearing. At that hearing Gounaris was represented by former Ogle County Public Defender William Gibbs, who has since left that position.

In court March 17, O’Brien questioned the officers’ use of force, describing it as a “very violent entry into the home” consisting of “several armed officers kicking down a door.”

Instead, he said that the call was made to police because Gounaris’ mother was concerned for her son’s mental health. Officers’ subsequent response was a “very funny looking welfare check,” O’Brien said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Kruse disagreed.

Kruse pointed out that police found Gounaris to be wearing ballistic body armor while armed with two handguns, pepper spray and a knife.

“This wasn’t a man who was having a mental health crisis. This was a man that wanted to kill someone,” she said.

Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley independently reviewed the ERT’s use of force in September 2024. He determined the deputies acted in accordance with the law because they only fired their weapons after being shot at by Gounaris.

In Roe’s ruling Monday he said, “the totality of arrest...are things the court has already considered.”

At the March 17 hearing, along with many previous hearings, O’Brien outlined many conditions for release that he said would mitigate the risk to the public, such as receiving mental health treatment or staying with family in McHenry County, among others.

O’Brien said Gounaris has begun taking medication while in custody, which has improved his mental health.

Kruse disagreed with those conditions and said Gounaris has a history of refusing to get treatment for his mental health, including a dislike of taking medications.

She said he’s still a danger while “he’s taking unspecified medications for an unspecified mental health condition.”

On Monday, Roe said “mental health is certainly an issue,” but he agreed with Kruse that the court has not been given any “specific diagnosis that would lead to a specific medication” and that Gounaris disliked taking medication in the past.

Roe also rejected the prospect of Gounaris staying with family in McHenry County because there’s been “no specific testimony or evidence showing what the families capabilities are” in dealing with his mental health.

“These are very serious offenses” resulting in serious injuries, Roe said.

During the gunfire exchange June 12, Ogle County Sheriff’s Lt. Jason Ketter was shot in the face, Deputy Tad Dominski was shot in the arm, Tyler Carls of the Rochelle Fire Department was shot in the torso and Gounaris was shot in the stomach.

That day, Dominski and Carls were treated at OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center – which at the time was KSB Hospital – in Dixon and released later that evening. Ketter was flown to OSF Medical Center in Rockford, underwent surgery and was released from the hospital June 14.

Gounaris was also treated at KSB and then booked into the Winnebago County Jail on June 18.

“I do not find that there’s substantial change in circumstance to release the defendant in any capacity,” Roe said Monday.

A status hearing was set for 1 p.m. April 28, during which Gounaris will no longer be represented by O’Brien since he’s leaving the public defender’s office.

“Gounaris would still maintain his general position for release,” O’Brien said.

The April hearing is also the deadline for the state to respond to O’Brien’s motion to “appoint an expert and/or reimburse defense costs to assist in presenting a change of venue request,” according to the motion filed March 6.

In his motion, O’Brien argues the court should allow and pay for a company to “explore the likelihood that this case should be tried” in a different county because there exists “prejudice against” Gounaris and he cannot receive a fair trial in Ogle County.

A change-of-venue motion typically asks the judge to move the trial to a different location. Those motions usually cite reasons that the filing party believes would prevent a fair trial in the county in which the case was filed. Pretrial publicity often is listed as a reason for a change-of-venue motion.