SYCAMORE – It appears a Peoria teenager accused of raping a fellow Northern Illinois University student won’t be getting out of the DeKalb County Jail anytime soon.
Charles L. Williams III, 18, has been charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and three counts of aggravated battery. If convicted of counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, each punishable by six to 30 years in prison, he’d serve them consecutively, Chief Judge Robbin Stuckert said during his bond hearing May 12. She said he would not be eligible for probation.
Bond was set at $75,000 that afternoon, and on Tuesday, Stuckert denied a motion by Williams’ public defender, Chip Criswell, asking that bond be reduced because Williams can’t pay $7,500 bail now, nor will he be able to anytime soon. The motion called the bond “excessive.”
NIU police said in court records that before
5 a.m., Williams hit the victim twice in the head from behind with a glass vase, causing it to break, and then choked her. The victim said in the records that when she came to, Williams was assaulting her, he ultimately raped her, and he threatened to kill her if she reported it to police.
Williams is due back in court at 9 a.m. June 27.
– Christopher Heimerman
Route 23 project delayed
after fire at contractor’s site
SYCAMORE – A fire at Curran Contracting over the weekend that caused $750,000 in damage had another effect: the delay of a road construction project on Route 23.
Sycamore City Engineer Mark Bushnell said during Monday’s City Council meeting that the fire will result in a roughly two-week delay in construction.
This isn’t the first time the project had an unforeseen delay.
An unfinished stretch from Oakland Drive to Coltonville Road was supposed to be completed in November, but the second layer of asphalt was found to be so porous that it was beginning to crumble, thus requiring a longer term solution.
The $4.4 million project is being handled by the Illinois Department of Transportation with contracting from the Crystal Lake-based Curran Group.
– Drew Zimmerman