Police: Rock Falls man beaten Aug. 6 dies; neighbor may be facing new charges

ROCK FALLS – The man who police say was beaten by a neighbor so severely that he was hospitalized nearly three weeks died at 12:51 a.m. Thursday at Amberwood Care Centre in Rockford, Chief Dave Pilgrim said in a news release.

According to court records, the man suffered a brain injury after Scott E. Hagerman struck him “on or about his head with his fists.”

Hagerman, 60, is in Whitesside County jail on $40,000 bond, charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place, each punishable by two to five years in prison. He also is charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

An autopsy will be conducted, and new charges may be filed as a result, the release said.

Police received a 911 call about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 6, reporting an assault in the 400 block of Garden Circle. When they arrived, they found a 61-year-old man injured on the ground.

He was taken to CGH Medical Center and later, “due to the severity of his injuries,” to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, police said in an earlier news release. When he was transferred to Amberwood was not provided.

Hagerman, who has no felony history in Whiteside County, was charged Aug. 8, pleaded not guilty and requested a public defender.

He was freed the next day after posting $1,500 of his $15,000 bond.

New information on the extent of the man’s injuries was presented in court on Aug. 11, Hagerman’s bond was increased to $40,000 and he was returned to custody.

He has a pretrial hearing Sept. 27.

Editor’s note: This article’s headline was corrected Friday to reflect the correct date for the assault.