Des Plaines man sentenced to 18 months probation

A Des Plaines man was sentenced to 18 months probation after pleading guilty to an amended charge of misdemeanor battery Tuesday.

A Cook County judge sentenced 19-year-old Paul Rukawiczkin to the probation and ordered him to play $340 in fines, court records show.

The charge stems from a March incident at his home in the 8900 block of Knight Avenue in unincorporated Maine Township near Des Plaines. Rukawiczkin reportedly came home after drinking and had a verbal altercation with his mother, police said. That led to a physical altercation with his mother's boyfriend, police said.

The victim agreed with prosecutors reducing the charge from aggravated domestic battery to misdemeanor battery because he did not want Rukawiczkin to have a felony record, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office said. The victim also declined prosecutors' offer of a restraining order for the duration of the defendant's probation.

Rukawiczkin will undergo an evaluation to determine if he needs substance abuse counseling. He may be required to attend anger management or domestic violence counseling, the spokesman said.