Huntley man gets jail time for attacking teens with a dog chain

A Huntley man was sentenced to 60 days in jail Monday after pleading guilty to striking two teenagers with a dog chain in 2008.

Oliver Rico, 21, was charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with the June 4 incident along Haligus Road in Huntley.

Rico's attorney, Brian Stevens, maintained the victims - one of whom Rico had a prior relationship with - had thrown items at Rico's car.

"It's unfortunate it came to this. The flip side is these individuals were causing some distress to him by following him around," Stevens said.

Judge Sharon Prather accepted Rico's plea to two assault charges and three other charges were dropped.

The assault charges were Class 3 felonies that carried up to five years in prison. Probation also was an option.

Combining jail time already served with eligibility for time off for good behavior, Rico will spend about 15 more days in the McHenry County jail. He also received two years probation, must pay $650 in fines and restitution for damage to the victim's car, was ordered to have no contact with the victims and must attend a comprehensive evaluation.

The victims told police the incident started with Rico throwing an item at their vehicle. They retaliated by throwing a soda can at his car and Rico chased them until they stopped on Haligus. He got out of his car with a dog chain wrapped around his hand and struck the 17-year-old driver, prosecutors said. Rico then walked around the car and struck a 19-year-old passenger and the vehicle.