Two plead guilty in 2014 KFC robbery, shooting in Aurora
Two men charged in a 2014 robbery of an Aurora KFC in which three employees were shot have pleaded guilty and might testify against a third defendant, according to Kane County court records.
Chase N. West, 23, and Joshua O. Scott, 30, both of Aurora, each pleaded guilty late last week to three counts of attempted murder and three counts of attempted armed robbery, records show.
Neither was sentenced under the plea that was accepted by Kane County Judge Clint Hull, and in Scott's case, a "document tendered on today's court date is to remain sealed until further order of the court," records show.
Scott is next due in court on Aug. 27 and West is due on Aug. 28.
The third defendant, Claude Jackson, 49, of Aurora, is scheduled for a jury trial on Aug. 27, court records show.
A message left with West's defense attorney, Ronald Haskell, was not returned, nor was a message left with Don Zuekle, who is Scott's lawyer.
The Kane County's State's Attorney's Office declined to comment on the cases of West and Scott.
Jackson, who authorities say shot three male employees during the Sept. 4, 2014, robbery at the KFC, 1350 E. New York St., was set for trial in February, but it was delayed until May and now August.
Prosecutors have indicated in court filings they plan to seek an extended prison term of up to 75 years if Jackson is convicted because of his previous criminal history. All three men were on parole when they were arrested, police said.
According to police, the three men entered the KFC that night and ordered three male workers, ages 17, 19 and 24, to the front of the store.
When Jackson learned none of the men could open the cash registers, authorities said, he shot them.
A fourth employee, a 36-year-old woman, hid in a closet and was not injured; injuries to the three men were not life-threatening.
Scott drove the getaway vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, to Jackson's residence on the 1100 block of Liberty Street. Police noticed similarities between the KFC case and other robberies and went to Jackson's and arrested the three men, along with a woman on unrelated charges.
All three men have been held at the Kane County jail since September 2014. Jackson is being held on $2.05 million bail, and West and Scott on bail of about $1.5 million each.
West and Scott both face up to 60 years in prison on the charges of attempted murder and robbery if convicted.