Geneva man accused of beating teen with baseball bat

A Geneva man remained in jail Friday on charges he beat an Oswego teen with a metal baseball bat.

The altercation took place shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday along a Campton Township road after the men disagreed about having left a drinking party in Sycamore, police said.

Adam J. Ziegler, of 115 Ridge Lane, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery/great bodily harm in the beating of Khristian R. Dearborn, 19, of Oswego, according to an arrest report.

Dearborn was hospitalized with an elbow fracture and bruises after being struck twice in the upper left leg and once in the left arm with a 30-inch metal bat, police said. Ziegler, who also was treated for a wrist injury, reportedly told police he was acting in self-defense after Dearborn choked him while inside a vehicle Ziegler was driving, prompting them to stop and fight in the area of 3N499 Route 47. Police said the bat was recovered from a ditch along Route 38.

Ziegler's bond was set at $20,000, and he remained in the Kane County jail Friday morning pending a court appearance next Thursday. Court records show he faced prior battery charges earlier this year and in 2007.

Thursday's altercation also resulted in underage drinking charges against Dearborn and a third passenger, 20-year-old Daniel E. Dennis of West Chicago, according to police.