South Elgin police: Teens planned fight via text messaging

An Elgin teenager has been charged with mob action, battery and resisting a police officer after a fight Tuesday at South Elgin High School that authorities say started with a text message and ended with an arrest in a nearby cow pasture.

Derf R. Reed, 19, of the 200 block of Moseley Street, and another student exchanged several text messages with each other in which they planned to beat up a 16-year-old boy at the school, police said.

The pair carried out the plan in a classroom, with Reed punching the boy in the face several times, authorities said.

The school resource officer detained the pair in the dean's office, but Reed ran out of the school and into a cow pasture across the street from the school, Sgt. Mike Doty said.

The school resource officer chased Reed and both sustained minor cuts by tripping over the barbed wire that led to the pasture, police said.

Reed continued to resist arrest by pushing, pulling and twisting his arm away from the officer, authorities said.

During Reed's bond hearing Wednesday morning, Kane County Judge Bruce Lester talked to his mother, who said her son has a history of mental health problems. With that information, Lester set Reed's bail at $5,000 and sent him off with a stern warning.

“We cannot have our high schools as places for fights and as a boxing ring I can't tolerate it and I don't think society will tolerate it,” Lester said. “I will not hesitate to revoke your bond if there's any other difficulty.”

The other teenager involved in the fight was taken to the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center and had a hearing Wednesday morning, Doty said.

Elgin Area School District U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said the fight would be grounds for suspension and, depending on the circumstances, possibly expulsion.