Elburn suspect in beating wants to enter program, avoid trial

An Elburn woman accused of entering her ex-boyfriend’s St. Charles residence and pummeling his new girlfriend wants to be admitted into the county’s pretrial diversion program, according to court records.

Caitlyn R. Knight, 21, of the 4N200 block of Citation Lane, is charged with home invasion, a non-probational felony that carries a minimum six-year prison term if convicted. Knight has no prior criminal record other than traffic offenses and failing to secure a child in a car seat, records show.

The pretrial diversion is designed for first-time, nonviolent offenders. It allows defendants to have felony charges dismissed if they can follow a period of supervision, perform community service and apologize to their victim or victims. The defendant does not plead guilty to any charges.

Judge Allen Anderson will next hear Knight’s petition on Sept. 26.

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said it would comment on the case after the September hearing. Assistant Public Defender Jillian Weiss could not be reached for comment.

Anderson recently relaxed the bond for Knight, who is on electronic home monitoring, to allow her to attend truck driving classes from July through early August, according to court records.

Police said Knight and another woman entered the apartment of a 28-year-old St. Charles man in the early morning hours of April 29 and battered the man’s 19-year-old girlfriend.

The man and Knight dated about a month before he ended the relationship about a week earlier. Knight still had a key to his residence and used it to enter and attack the victim, who was taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva with scratches and bruises, police said.

Knight’s co-defendant, Octavia L. Williams. formerly of Maple Park who now lives in the 200 block of Timber Trails Boulevard in Gilberts, also is charged with home invasion.

Williams, 23, is on electronic home monitoring and due in court on Thursday.

The home invasion charge is a felony that carries a six- to 30-year prison term upon conviction.