St. Charles wrist-biter gets probation

A St. Charles man was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation for biting a woman during a custody dispute over a dog.

Donald C. Paul, 52, of the 0-99 block of North 12th Street, pleaded guilty to domestic battery in exchange for the sentence, which also requires him to receive domestic violence and drug and alcohol counseling, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.

Paul was arrested in St. Charles last July after he bit a woman's wrist as the two argued in a minivan on the 1100 block of Dean Street about the custody of a dog, police said. Paul also was accused of smashing the victim's phone when she tried to call for help, and trying to snatch the keys to the van.

Because the battery took place in public, Paul initially was charged with a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. That charge was dismissed as a result of Paul pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery. Judge Thomas Mueller accepted the plea deal.