Aurora man sentenced to 7 years for shooting man in the face, fleeing police

An Aurora man was sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting an acquaintance in the face during an argument and fleeing from police.

John W. Sperry, 56, of the 300 block of Grant Place in Aurora was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Kane County Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti Friday. He was convicted Jan. 11 of aggravated battery with a firearm and two counts of fleeing and eluding an officer, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

Police said Sperry drove to the victim's house in the 300 block of Jackson Street in Aurora on March 4, 2017. The victim walked to the passenger side of Sperry's car and the two men began to argue when Sperry shot the man in the face with a .38 caliber handgun, according to police.

The man survived and Sperry fled the scene, police said. After police spotted him near the crime scene, he led them on a 14-minute chase during which he exceeded 70 mph and was arrested after his car struck a utility pole at Claim Street and Lincoln Avenue, police said.

Sperry received six years for the aggravated battery charge and one year for the fleeing and eluding offense, according to police. He will receive credit for 377 days he served in the Kane County jail.