Suspect in iron and frying pan attack pleads not guilty

A McHenry County man formally pleaded not guilty Monday to allegations he severely beat his roommate last month with a clothes iron and a frying pan.

Bernard Nicholl, 44, also asked for a jury trial on a charge of aggravated battery stemming from the May 9 incident which left his roommate, Miroslaw "Mike" Czerchlanski, with near fatal head injuries.

The charge is a felony punishable by a maximum five years in prison.

Czerchlanski, 48, was in critical condition at the intensive-care unit of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for more than a week after the attack. He has since been upgraded to fair condition, hospital staff said Monday.

The incident, police said, occurred when the two men argued inside a home they shared in the 4900 block of Wonder Lake Drive in Wonder Lake. Police have declined to comment on the nature of the dispute.

Nicholl, who remains in custody at the county jail unable to post $10,000 bond, is scheduled to return to court June 30 for a pretrial status hearing.