New details emerge in St. Charles Twp. holiday shooting
A police report filed in Kane County last week shed new light on a Christmas Day shooting in St. Charles Township.
According to the report, 41-year-old Juan Carreon-Pacheco had been carrying a loaded .357-caliber Magnum revolver in his waistband all day when he suddenly erupted on a friend sitting at his kitchen table.
Police said Carreon-Pacheco approached the 18-year-old victim shortly after 1:30 a.m., as the teen was talking on his cell phone.
After asking whether there was a "problem," Carreon-Pacheco grabbed the victim's hair and put the Ruger up against his temple, according to police.
The gun went off when a third man intervened by "slapping" at Carreon-Pacheco's hand; a single round was fired into the floor, police said.
When police arrived at the residence on the 36W700 block of Red Gate Road, Carreon-Pacheco said he was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom and "knew nothing about the pointing and firing" of a gun. He told police he found the gun "lying around and was just carrying it," though police discovered its case next to his bed, according to the report.
Carreon-Pacheco remained in the Kane County jail Friday, charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault and no valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card. His bond is set at $100,000.
A message left for Carreon-Pacheco's attorney was not immediately returned. He has requested a bond reduction and is due back in court Jan. 22.
Cook trial: The driver charged with striking and killing Batavia resident David Long and his dog as the two walked on the sidewalk last summer may go to trial as early as this spring.
Last week, Judge T. Jordan Gallagher scheduled 24-year-old Edward O. Cook's murder trial for March 15 - the Ides of March.
Cook, accused of driving a stolen vehicle under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated driving under the influence, among other offenses, in the July 29, 2009, crash. He has pleaded not guilty.
Grand opening: Aurora's new police headquarters is scheduled to open Monday at 1200 East Indian Trail. It's where citizens should take any police-related business, such as traffic court and jail bonds from now on.
The new facility opens daily at 8 a.m., with public access only from Indian Trail. Parking is in front, with the main entrance on the far east side of the complex.
Police said any changes to nonemergency telephone numbers were still being finalized and would be announced this week.
Endorsement supreme: Kane County judicial candidate Fred Morelli has picked up the endorsement of retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice John Nickels, he announced last week.
Morelli, of Aurora, is seeking the Republican nomination for a spot on the bench in the 16th Judicial Circuit, which includes Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties. His opponent in the Feb. 2 primary is Judge Kevin Busch of Batavia.
"I am humbled to receive this endorsement from Justice Nickels," Morelli said in a news release. "His distinguished 30-year legal and judicial career is an example for all of us who aspire to attain the pinnacle of our profession."
Nickels was on the state supreme court from 1992 to 1998, and was both an appellate and circuit court judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit before that.