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North Aurora man gets 15 years for firing gun in domestic dispute

A 46-year-old North Aurora man, who spent time in prison for a 1999 attempted murder, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to armed violence and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Gregory R. Bishop, of the 0-99 block of Grace Street, was arrested in July 2013 and accused of beating a relative with a shotgun and later firing the gun into the ceiling of the home.

Bishop was arrested after the 31-year-old relative was found at West State and North Lincolnway streets on July 9 and told police he was struck in the face by the butt end of a shotgun.

Bishop was initially charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, a crime that carries a top prison term of seven years if convicted.

But Bishop was later indicted by a Kane County grand jury on charges of armed violence. This crime carries a prison term range of six to 30 years with no chance for probation.

Judge James Hallock accepted the plea agreement in which prosecutors dismissed some less severe charges, according to court records.

Bishop, records show, was charged with the October 13, 1999, attempted murder of a woman in Aurora.

Bishop, who was homeless at the time, was accused of using a broken vodka bottle to slit the woman's throat and stabbing her. He was convicted in March 2001 and sentenced to 14 years in prison, records show.

Bishop gets credit for about seven months served at the Kane County jail while the case was pending.

North Aurora man faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted

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