La Salle County Court

About a week after Eric Clements was shot to death outside his Ottawa home, the alleged triggerman spoke to police. Now, Nicolaus Phillips wants a judge to throw out the statement.

That was no firecracker thrown into a fire pit at Hi-Tide Campground near Leland, a judge ruled Thursday. It was a gunshot. Joseph Pawelczyk was found guilty of firing it.

A parolee was wanted for three alleged drug deals conducted in 2024. When the police caught him, they said they found 5 ounces (about one-third pound) of purported cocaine. Mariano Verucchi now faces up to 40 years in prison.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Another suspect has been apprehended in the Streator drug and theft ring.

An Ottawa man was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison for an armed Ottawa home invasion, during which shots were fired.

A Marseilles man will stand trial April 28 for allegedly setting fire to his brother’s house while his brother was trapped inside.

A Marseilles man accused of killing his dad on Father’s Day weekend waived his right to a jury trial Wednesday. Logan Petre will stand trial before a judge May 28.

La Salle County’s first female judge is calling it a career.

A teen was put on probation Oct. 29 for bringing a gun on into Ottawa High School. The next day, he was charged with possessing a stolen car. Now, he’s headed into residential treatment.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

An Ottawa woman pleaded guilty to setting a Thanksgiving Day fire that damaged an Ottawa residence, though no one was injured. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The alleged getaway driver in the 2023 shooting death in Ottawa will stand trial May 19.

Jeffrey Peterson was under a no-contact order with his brother when he allegedly set fire to the brother's house. That was enough for a judge to order Peterson detained.

Jeffrey Peterson allegedly hurled gas-filled balloons into a Marseilles basement bedroom, setting fire to the house and briefly trapping the victim inside.

Derek Hornick cut a deal Friday that didn’t end all his legal troubles – he still faces up to 30 years for drugs – but which at least got him out of La Salle County Jail. He lasted four days.

One of the suspects in the COVID-19 relief scams still awaits a trial setting. James Forbes might have to first settle his lingering gun and drug charges from 2022.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Lawyers for Chester Weger have termed it a “mini-trial” and said they’ll introduce evidence, not available decades ago, showing Weger was wrongly convicted of murder. The mini-trial begins May 12.

Was it a firecracker or a gunshot heard last summer at Hi-Tide Campground near Leland? A Streator man needs a judge to believe it was a firecracker or he could face prison.

One of the Jan. 6 protesters pardoned on Monday is a La Salle County man who served part of an 18-month sentence.

An Ottawa woman who injured a baby that was not her own was sentenced Thursday to 30 months probation but also ordered to serve three months in jail.

A Marseilles man accused of running a stash house stocked with guns and drugs pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple felonies and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, and returned the following indictments.

He was convicted of running a La Salle County drug ring and told in no uncertain terms he couldn’t possess a gun. Clarence Merritte now faces up to 30 years if convicted of handling a forbidden firearm.

An Ottawa murder trial has been postponed until spring.

Six people are accused of seeking government aid through false claims made during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Each now faces up to 15 years if convicted.

Two of the alleged fraudsters didn’t bother naming the business they claimed to own. Another claimed to own a limited liability corporation, but the LLC wasn’t created until after he got his money.

A Streator man charged with shooting three people, killing one, will stand trial for murder on March 3.

A Spring Valley man charged with trying to bilk a La Salle bank out of more than $17,000 will stand trial March 24 on two felonies.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Monday, Dec. 30, and returned the following indictments:

Cesar D. Jimenez-Preciado told police he was hauling hemp. Police said it field-tested positive for cannabis. Lab results favored Jimenez-Preciado and his charges were dismissed.

A homeless man charged in a pair of La Salle knife incidents pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges and was sentenced to four years in prison.

A Streator man accused of running a drugs and theft ring will stand trial March 17 on multiple felonies. Keith Gullens will stay in jail while awaiting his jury.

A Montgomery man was ordered held Thursday in La Salle County Jail for allegedly threatening a La Salle County judge in a pair of recorded phone calls.

A Montgomery man is being held in La Salle County Jail after allegedly threatening a judge, La Salle County Sheriff Adam Diss said in a Wednesday news release.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, and returned the following indictments.

La Salle County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is holding open registration until the end of December to train interested persons to be child advocates.

Dozens of Oglesby residents seek a structural change in city government and want it put to a referendum. A judge could decide next week whether to put it on the April 1 ballot.

A Streator woman charged in the “Bonnie & Clyde” crime spree pleaded guilty Thursday to three felonies. Ashley Moats is going to prison for five years.

A Streator man pleaded guilty Thursday to a 2023 shooting and was sentenced to 5-plus years in prison.

One of the suspects in Streator’s drug-theft ring has a Jan. 27 trial date. David Miller will stay in custody while he awaits trial.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, and returned the following indictments.

Tekeisha White is not getting out of jail Monday – the court wants proof a homeless shelter will take her in – but the arson suspect was granted pretrial release and will be cut loose if and when she has a verified place to stay.

An Ottawa woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to injuring a baby that was not her own and faces up to five years in prison when she’s sentenced on Jan. 16.

A Streator woman charged with residential burglary on back-to-back days – and who’d been granted pre-trial release after the first charge – pleaded guilty Wednesday and was granted probation with drug treatment.

An Oglesby man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months’ probation for striking a man with a miniature sledgehammer. Darnell Williams must, however, serve a month in jail.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday, Nov. 19, and returned the following indictments.

Two of the defendants in the “Jane Doe” lawsuit against the city of Ottawa have been dropped from the case.

A La Salle man was granted pre-trial release Friday after prosecutors charged him with having unlawful sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl.