Elgin man pleads guilty to beating homeless senior citizen
An Elgin man pleaded guilty Tuesday to beating a homeless man in Elgin this summer, causing severe injuries.
Isaac Diaz, 19, of the 300 block of Weston Avenue, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a person 60 or older. He accepted a sentence of 170 days in jail.
Diaz received credit for the 170 days he has spent in the Kane County jail since his arrest July 20.
He and the 60-year-old homeless man had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana together near Chicago Street and Grove Avenue. Diaz told police the two argued after the man made "inappropriate" comments.
Diaz pushed the man to the ground and punched him in the face several times. Some money fell out of the man's pocket, and Diaz took it and left, authorities said. Police found him in a closet of his home.
The victim suffered bleeding in and around his brain, including a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He also had cuts that required stitches.
The prosecutor told Judge Alice Tracy that the condition of the victim is unknown, because he didn't have any way to contact the victim and police have not seen him recently.
Diaz was also charged with robbery, but that charge was dropped per a plea agreement.
Diaz will be released today. He will have to undergo an evaluation for anger management, and any treatment ordered.