7 years for Elgin gang shooting

One of two men charged with shooting a 15-year-old from Elgin in the arm in October 2010 is going to prison.

Edgar G. Bernal, 20, of the 500 block of Lucille Avenue, Elgin, was sentenced to seven years after recently pleading guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a gang member, according to court records.

Bernal initially was charged with attempted murder after the Oct. 11 shooting in the 200 block of South Clifton Avenue, on the city’s west side.

The victim was shot in the left arm with a .32 caliber handgun.

Judge Karen M. Simpson accepted the plea in the case in which prosecutors dropped charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, in this case Harriet Gifford Elementary School.

Bernal had been held in the Kane County jail on $90,000 bail since his arrest, and will receive about 8½ months of credit toward his sentence, of which he must serve 85 percent.

The other person charged in the crime — 19-year-old Giovanni Sandoval — is due in court July 22.

Sandoval, of the 1100 block of Concord Drive, Elgin, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and other weapons charges. If convicted of the most serious offense, he would face a minimum of six years and as many as 30 years in jail.

Condolences: George B. Corson, a retired McHenry County sheriff’s department deputy who also served with the Woodstock Rural Fire Department, recently passed away at his home in Fort Myers, Fla. He was 71.Known as #147;Pete#148; for his entire life, Corson was born in Woodstock and spent 30 years with the department before retiring in 1990 as a sergeant and director of special services.He was a past winner of the J. Stanton Baker Award for excellence in traffic safety. He was a member of the Elks and also active in Kiwanis, the Illinois Police Association, International Association of Arson Investigators, Northern Illinois Arson Task Force, Gov. Jim Edgar#146;s DUI Project task force, and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Corson married Gayle (Blohm) Eckert Feb. 14, 1987, and they set off on an adventure, selling their home in 1999 and traveling in a large fifth wheel trailer for six years. Still time left: The Kane County Bar Foundation has extended its deadline to Friday for nonprofit agencies to apply for grants.Since 1996, the foundation has offered grants to encourage and reward cooperation and creativity to develop new and innovative programs and resources to better meet the legal needs of the community.The foundation doled out seven grants for $10,325 last year.For an application, email the foundation#146;s Executive Director, Jan Wade, at director@kanecountybar.org.