Former Barrington man get prison time for dragging man with car

A 68-year-old former Barrington man was recently sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of dragging a man about 40 feet with his car.

Kane County Judge Karen Simpson cited Edwin Nyden’s extensive criminal history before doling out the sentence, which can be cut in half for good behavior.

Nyden was first arrested on charges of theft when he was 18. He also did prison time for voluntary manslaughter when he was in his 20s and had convictions for theft, drugs, battery and DUI. In 2005, he had a year in jail for possession of a firearm by a felon.

“Sentencing is always a difficult job because there’s so much to consider,” Simpson said. “The defendant basically has a lifelong history of a variety of different criminal offenses.”

To Simpson, the past outweighed Nyden’s plea that a prison term would not allow him to care for his ailing 87-year-old mother, who he lives with in Florida.

Nyden was convicted of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an April bench trial. The charge stemmed from a June 2010 incident at a Carpentersville bar in which Nyden backed up his 1999 Honda and knocked over a 2006 Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle.

Prosecutors argued that the victim, who was not seriously injured, tried to get insurance information from Nyden but got his arm hooked in the car window as Nyden drove off.

Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Schwertley argued for a three-year sentence.

“His past conduct is the greatest indicator of his future conduct,” Schwertley said. Defense attorney Scott Sheen argued for probation, saying Nyden was acting in self-defense when he left, and the victim only had an inch-long scratch on his arm.

Ex-coach wants new trial: Douglas Millsaps, a former football coach at Rolling Meadows High School who was credited with turning around the program, wants a new trial after being convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence in May.Millsaps, 48 of Bolingbrook, was scheduled to be sentenced Monday by Kane County Judge Bruce Lester.Millsaps#146; new attorney, Paul DeLuca, filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that during the bench trial, Lester gave too much weight to a Geneva police officer#146;s testimony that an eye test showed Millsaps was drinking.DeLuca also disputed testimony that when an officer found Millsaps sleeping in his car at 3 p.m. June 6, 2009, with the keys in the ignition, he was drooling. During his trial, Millsaps said sleep apnea causes him to drool on occasion.Lester will hear arguments from DeLuca and prosecutors July 6.Millsaps faces up to a year in jail for his conviction.Millsaps, who remains at teacher at the high school, pleaded guilty to DUI following a May 2004 arrest in Wood Dale.