Weapon found after fight in Kane County Jail

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – After a fight among inmates, a Kane County Jail detainee was found with a weapon, making it the "first actual weapon" found in the facility since it opened in 2008, Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Pat Gengler said.

“That’s a big deal,” he said.

Omar H. Caballero, 20, of the 200 block of North Smith Street, Aurora, was charged with felony possession of a weapon in a penal institution, according to court records.

The shank was found after a fight broke out at the St. Charles Township facility about 6:45 p.m. Aug. 20 in one of the cell blocks, Gengler said.

Although inmates are given access to a common area, they aren’t supposed to congregate in individual cells, which can house two people, he said. In this case, he said, an officer noticed several people were in one cell and confronted them.

The crowd dispersed except for Sergio B. Perez, Martin Garcia Jr. and Joshua C. Matias, who started punching Caballero, Gengler said.

“We believe it was probably a gang-motivated incident,” he said.

The officer used pepper spray to not only stop the altercation but to also identify those involved, Gengler said. Those with pepper spray on them would stand out from other inmates.

The men were separated, Gengler said, and a piece of metal fell from Caballero’s pant leg as he was being escorted away. The metal piece was about 4 inches and was sharpened down to a point, he said.

Court records indicate Perez, 23, of the 4900 block of Keller Street, Lisle; Garcia, 21, of the 100 block of North Ohio Street, Aurora; and Matias, 18, of the 400 block of Marion Avenue, Aurora; were each charged with felony mob action.

Nobody needed medical treatment, Gengler said.

He said the officer was able to intervene immediately because the jail uses direct supervision. At the old facility, he said, inmates were not under constant supervision and would wait until the officer passed to conduct their business.

The fight and surrounding circumstances prompted a lockdown, which lasted about two days, Gengler said. He said no other weapons were found.