NIU tech employee expecting deal on aggravated battery charge

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office is putting together a plea deal for a Northern Illinois University employee accused of slashing a man with a knife in a bar fight.

Anthony J. Sosin, 33, of the 800 block of Stevens Avenue in Sycamore, has been free on $1,000 bail since early 2017, shortly after he was arrested on a warrant for aggravated battery. If convicted, he could face two to five years in prison. He’s represented by public defender Robert Nolan.

Police reports acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request show that during a birthday party the night of Feb. 3, 2017, and the morning of Feb. 4 at a bar in the 200 block of East Lincoln Highway, witnesses said men exchanged racial slurs with the DJ and were kicked out of the bar before eventually fighting in the court behind the bar.

Witness statements conflict on what prompted the fight, but “a large quantity of blood” was found on the ground, belonging to a victim. The reports said the victim had to be transferred from Kishwaukee Hospital to the intensive care unit at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford because of the severity of about five knife wounds, according to the report.

Sosin, whose hand was bandaged when police spoke with him, according to the reports, eventually admitted to wielding a small folding knife, and said he was swinging it during the fight because his shirt had been pulled over his head. The victim said in the reports he didn’t realize until after the fight that he’d been cut, and that he was bleeding heavily from his neck.

The reports said all the men fled the scene before police arrived, and that after a warrant was issued Feb. 21 for Sosin’s arrest, he turned himself in and posted $1,000 bail Feb. 22.

Judge Philip Montgomery said in court Tuesday that he was expecting the state to have an offer in place for Sosin, but Assistant State’s Attorney Maribeth Ennis asked for more time. Montgomery set a new date for May 21.