Round Lake Beach man pleads not guilty to shooting victim in leg
A 20-year-old man pleaded not guilty to shooting another man at Fairfield and Mayfield roads in Round Lake Beach in late July.
Dustin Neal, of the 1600 block of Brentwood Drive in Round Lake Beach, faces 60 years in prison if found guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm, Lake County Judge Christopher Stride said Tuesday. Neal also was charged with three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm that could put him behind bars for up to 15 years, Stride said.
Neal remains held in Lake County jail in lieu $500,000 bail, of which he must post 10 percent to be released. He has a trial date of Oct. 28.
Round Lake Beach police officers responded to Fairfield Road at 8:12 p.m. on July 29, and found a 21-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Witnesses described Neal as the gunman, authorities said, and police learned he was staying at an acquaintance's house in Fox River Grove.
Neal was captured on July 31 through a coordinated effort that included the Round Lake Beach police, the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force and Fox River Grove police, authorities said.
Neal is due back in court for pretrial Oct. 10.