Brawler gets 10 days in jail for violation

A 21-year-old Burlington Township man was sentenced to 10 days in jail for violating his probation stemming from his involvement in the 2005 fatal Plato Township brawl.

Leif Johnson, of 9N125 Oak Bluff Drive, was issued a warning to stay out of future trouble by Judge Grant Wegner before being handcuffed and led away Wednesday.

The sentence was the result of Johnson admitting he violated probation when he was charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property in February after driving around a woman's home in her yard with his vehicle.

A sentencing date on that charge has not been set, but it carries a maximum of 30 days in jail.

Outside the courtroom, Johnson's attorney, John Franquelli, said his client was not a "troublemaker."

"This young man's crime is hanging around the wrong people," he said. "He's a good kid."

Johnson didn't have a weapon and was struck on the head with a bottle in brawl that resulted in the death of his friend, Nicholas Swanson, 20, of Elgin.

Johnson was initially charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and placed on probation with a chance to have that removed from his record if he stayed out of trouble.

He was arrested in September 2005 with alcohol and a marijuana pipe in Plato Township. In March 2006, his supervision was revoked and his probation extended 16 months for a guilty plea

In all, six of the 17 people convicted in the brawl have wound up back in court.

The brawl involved up to 50 people associated with St. Charles North and Burlington Central high schools. No one was charged with dealing the fatal blow to the back of Swanson's head.