St. Charles man charged with felony 'Molotov' cocktail possession, property damage
A 22-year-old St. Charles man faces felony explosives and property damage charges after his arrest in mid-October when authorities say he possessed two “Molotov cocktails.”
Eric C. Eggers, of the 1800 block of Lucylle Court, faces several felony charges in connection to vehicles that were damaged on the 1200 block of Lencioni Court in Geneva. The most severe of those charges is possession of an explosive/incendiary device, according to Kane County court records.
According to an affidavit used to secure a search warrant for Eggers' car, cellphone and other items on Oct. 15, Eggers told police he was angry about a drug deal and only wanted to scare people at a house in Geneva.
Geneva and St. Charles police, who were looking for Eggers after several vehicles in Geneva were damaged by a BB gun or air rifle, saw him walking to a vehicle on the 1800 block of Lucylle, according to the affidavit.
Police stopped Eggers and ordered him to drop the bag and a box he was carrying. Police saw a “cylindrical shaped object with what appeared be a fuse attached to the top” inside the box, which was open, according to the affidavit.
“Eggers advised officers on the scene that the object was a 'Molotov cocktail.' He stated the can was a butane can and he was going to deliver the device to a residence in Geneva,” the affidavit continued.
Police arrested Eggers as he was walking toward a car registered to his mother's home address. Officers saw two small propane canisters in the cargo area, the affidavit said. They also called the Kane County Bomb Squad.
Eggers later gave a video-recorded statement to police in which he admitted shooting two vehicles with the pellet gun on Oct. 14, and that he wrote a note found at the Geneva residence that threatened to kill people there unless they paid him $10,000, according to the affidavit.
“He stated he was going to bring the 'Molotov cocktail' to the same residence and light it,” according to the affidavit. “He stated it was just going to cause a small explosion and was meant to frighten the homeowner.”
Eggers is free on bail and next due in court Friday. He is to have no contact with victims of vehicles damaged in the case and to stay away from the house on Lencioni.
If convicted of the most severe charge of possession of the explosive/incendiary device, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to up to 15 years in prison. Attempts to reach Eggers were unsuccessful; it was unclear if he had hired private counsel.