Shooting Star suspect pleads guilty to theft of treasured Algonquin statue

Algonquin's 70-year-old Shooting Star statue was damaged when it was stolen in June 2006, but was recovered and is being repaired.

An Algonquin man whose drunken prank upset his entire hometown pleaded guilty Thursday to a reduced charge to avoid prison time for stealing and damaging a treasured village icon.

Brandon L. Johnson, 23, admitted guilt to a misdemeanor theft charge stemming from the June 2006 disappearance of Algonquin's Shooting Star statue, a summertime fixture in the village's downtown for more than 70 years.

Under terms of the deal, Johnson was placed on one year non-reporting probation, ordered to pay the village $2,000 restitution and must undergo an alcohol abuse evaluation. He also was sentenced to 120 days in the McHenry County jail, but already has served that time.

In return for the guilty plea, McHenry County prosecutors dropped felony theft and criminal damage to property charges that could have landed him up to five years in a state prison.

Johnson declined comment Thursday, but his attorney described his actions as a "stupid prank."

"He expressed remorse immediately afterward and he's led a law-abiding life since June 2006," Senior Assistant Public Defender Christopher Harmon said. "He's not a bad kid."

The statue, crafted by a local artist in 1935 to commemorate the village's centennial, depicts an American Indian girl aiming her bow and arrow upward to the sky. Since its creation, the statue has been placed every summer as an ornamental top to a fountain at Main Street and Algonquin Road.

Algonquin police arrested Johnson by following broken pieces of the cement mason statue, Hansel and Gretel-style, to the door of his residence on the 100 block of South Main Street.

Though recovered from Johnson's home, the statue has been tucked away in the village police evidence lockup since the theft.

It was damaged badly in the theft, prompting some Algonquin officials to question the wisdom of re-installing it outdoors.

Village Administrator Bill Ganek said Thursday now that Johnson's case is resolved, officials will begin discussing what to do with Shooting Star.

"Once we get it repaired we'll be in a better position to determine whether it should be outdoors or kept inside," he said.