Aurora man charged with possessing large 'shank' at Kane County jail
A 36-year-old Aurora man held at the Kane County jail on charges he wrote threatening letters to the Kane County state's attorney, two judges and other officials has now been charged with possessing a large sharpened weapon.
Michael A. Villagran, of the 0-100 block of South Lincoln Avenue, faces an additional four to 15 years in prison if convicted of possessing a weapon in a penal institution, a felony, according to Kane County prosecutors and court records.
Prosecutors say Villagran was caught July 1 with a 6- to 7-inch metal shank with a sharpened point.
Kane County Judge Michael Noland set Villagran's bail last week at $200,000, meaning Villagran must post an additional $20,000 to be released. His overall bail is $380,000, meaning he must post $38,000 to be released while these and other charges against him are pending.
Villagran had been held at the jail on charges he spit on a police officer in 2018. In March 2020, Villagran was charged with seven additional felonies of threatening a public official, an offense that carries a sentence ranging from probation to up to five years in prison.
He is accused of sending letters March 18 "that would place a public official in reasonable apprehension of future bodily harm," according to charging documents.
The letters were sent to judges D.J. Tegeler and Alice Tracy, State's Attorney Joe McMahon, an assistant state's attorney, an assistant public defender and a Kane County sheriff's sergeant, according to court records. The charging documents in the court file did not specify the threat, and officials have declined to comment on the letters' contents.
Villagran is next due in court Wednesday. He faces a sentencing ranging from probation to up to seven years in prison if convicted of the spitting incident of aggravated battery to a police officer.