Elgin burglary suspect applies to second-chance program
A 17-year-old who is one of three accused of a smash and grab burglary in which up to nine phones were stolen from a cellphone store is applying for Kane County’s pretrial diversion program, according to court records and his attorney.
Awaan D. Woods, of the 500 block of Highland Avenue, Elgin, was released from the Kane County jail Tuesday after he spent 41 days there since his arrest in May.
Woods is accused of a burglary May 7 at a store in the 100 block of South Grove Avenue. The most serious charge carries a penalty of anywhere from probation to seven years in prison.
Instead, Woods will seek entrance into the program, through which a defendant must be interviewed by a county appointed panel, apologize and stay out of trouble for at least a year in order to have the felony case dropped. The program is for nonviolent, first-time offenders.
Ron Dolak, who is representing Woods through the Kane County Public Defender’s Office, said his client has a good chance to be accepted.
“He’s a good kid,” Dolak said. “He’s only 17. There is no criminal history and he’s been a ward of the state since he was 2.”
Dolak said Woods was a resident of the Larkin Center in Elgin, a home for youths with behavioral challenges, at the time of his arrest. He is again residing there since being released from jail. Dolak declined to comment on the burglary charges against Woods.
Woods is due in court Aug. 24 for a pretrial diversion hearing before Judge Karen Simpson.
Two other Elgin defendants, Lacy Ousley, 19, and Alexander C. Bizefski, 18, both of the 500 block of Highland Avenue, are due in court Friday and June 28, respectively. Both were being held at the county jail on $20,000.
According to an Elgin police report, Ousley offered to pay Bizefski $200 if he broke into the store and stole the phones. Ousley and Woods are accused of acting as lookouts after a rock was used to break the store window.