DeKalb man takes plea deal, gets 9-year prison sentence on gun charge

SYCAMORE – Christian Contreras wept in DeKalb County court as he hugged his family goodbye after accepting a deal to serve nine years in prison for firing a gun multiple times at a man in February 2016.

“You gotta be strong,” he said as he hugged a woman who declined to be identified or comment.

The 21-year-old DeKalb man pleaded guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm and must serve at least
85 percent of the nine-year sentence, although he's been credited with
190 days served in DeKalb County Jail.

As part of the plea deal, the three felonies and the misdemeanor charge Contreras was facing have been dismissed. He'll get two years of parole after his release and must pay more than $14,000 in restitution to the victim at whom he fired several times
Feb. 25, 2016, in the 1000 block of Pleasant Street.

Assistant State’s Attorney David Belshan said in court Friday that police recovered five spent casings at the scene.

“It is a good deal, and a lot of it has to do with the weights of the evidence on the case,” Contreras’ lawyer, Isuf Kola, said.

He declined to comment on why Contreras opted not to go to trial, which was set to begin Jan. 23.

Belshan declined to comment, saying that State’s Attorney Rick Amato soon will be sending a news release on the plea deal.

Contreras' family posted $50,000 bail for him to be released on the shooting charge, and they also posted $101,000 for him to be released
Sept. 14, 2016, on an aggravated battery charge after police said he beat a minor with a baseball bat in July 2016, according to court records.

Once the family posted $10,000 bail for Contreras to be released on charges of aggravated assault and mob action in September, the state's attorney's office filed a motion for the family to disclose where the money was coming from.

The motion was to be ruled on Sept. 14, but Contreras instead asked that he get the $10,000 bail back and he be taken to jail, according to Belshan.

Belshan said Contreras was then taken into custody, and his bond was restored to a total of $1.1 million.

Contreras first will be taken to Stateville Correctional Center, where it will be determined where he’ll serve his sentence. If he serves all nine years, he’ll be 30 when he’s released.