News - DeKalb County

DeKalb man arrested in connection with December home invasion, taser gun incident in Sycamore

SYCAMORE – A DeKalb man has been arrested following a December home invasion incident, during which he allegedly invaded a Sycamore home and attempted to use a taser gun on the victim.

Barron S. Golden, 24, of the 1100 block of Varsity Boulevard in DeKalb, was charged on Monday with armed violence, a Class X felony; home invasion, a Class X felony; residential burglary, a Class 1 felony; theft, a Class 2 felony; aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; and two charges of unlawful use of weapons, one Class 4 felony and one Class A misdemeanor. If convicted of the armed violence or home invasion charges, he could face up to 30 years in prison.

Sycamore police responded to a call at 4:23 a.m. on Dec. 12 for a report of home invasion in 400 block of West High Street, according to a Tuesday news release from the department.

“A female resident reported that she had awoken to a man standing over her while she slept in bed,” police wrote in the news release.

The female victim told police the intruder tried to use a stun gun on her and grab her leg, according to the release. She said she was able to fight off the intruder, who fled the residence.

Police wrote in the release the victim also provided information to officers about a suspicious incident that occurred two weeks before the break-in involving the food delivery person acting inappropriately.

In a Tuesday petition urging the court to deny bail for Golden and keep him in jail, DeKalb County Assistant State’s Attorney Alesandra Friend wrote the victim in the Dec. 12 home invasion incident previously ordered Taco Bell through DoorDash at about 10 p.m. Nov. 28. Golden was allegedly the driver that delivered the food, according to court records.

“Upon delivering the food, the defendant asked the victim for her phone number and the victim provided a fake number,” Friend wrote.

At about 12:40 a.m. Nov. 29, Golden allegedly came back to the woman’s residence again, Friend wrote. The petition reads the victim’s sister answered the door and told him the victim wasn’t available and to leave.

“The victim watched out her window and observed the defendant ... stand outside her door for approximately 15 minutes, go to his car and then sit in his car for another 15 minutes before leaving,” Friend wrote. “The next day, the victim reported the incident to DoorDash.”

Police used court subpoenas, search warrants and home security videos to investigate the incident, according to the Sycamore police department news release.

Friend wrote in the petition to the court a search warrant revealed the defendant possessed in his vehicle two stun guns, as well as a firearm without a valid firearms owner identification card. Another search warrant for Golden’s cell phone records revealed he was near his residence in DeKalb a few hours before the Dec. 12 incident. The phone records also placed him in Sycamore less than an hour before the incident and placed him back in DeKalb about an hour after the incident.

“Furthermore, it was determined that the defendant called the fake number that the victim gave him twice,” Friend wrote.

Upon interviewing the defendant after his arrest, the defendant allegedly admitted that he was the one inside the victim’s residence during the Dec. 12 incident and apologized for what he did, according to the court petition.

“The defendant even wrote an apology letter to the victim saying he was sorry for how this incident might make her feel,” Friend wrote in the petition.

During the investigation, it was revealed Golden allegedly had similar encounters when delivering food through DoorDash to several other women. Other food delivery customers provided statements about a delivery person making inappropriate comments to them, Friend wrote.

“The defendant would inappropriately look the females up and down, ask for their numbers, try to talk to the females despite on one occasion the order was for contactless delivery,” Friend wrote. “The defendant would then be seen standing outside the door for several minutes after the food was delivered and then sit in the car for several minutes thereafter. [In] one of the occasions involving a different female, the defendant returned back to the residence at approximately 4 a.m. and rang the doorbell.”

Golden attended DeKalb County court bond call Tuesday afternoon via Zoom while he was still being held at DeKalb County Jail.

DeKalb County Judge Philip Montgomery appointed a public defender to Golden, per Golden’s request, in court on Tuesday. Golden is due back in court 1 p.m. Friday for a hearing during which a judge will rule whether to deny him bail per prosecutors’ petition.

Montgomery kept the $100,000 bond that was issued to Golden as part of his arrest warrant, which was approved by a DeKalb County judge on Monday. Golden would need to post $10,000 to be released from the county jail.

DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato confirmed Tuesday that could mean Golden potentially could be released from jail if he posts $10,000 before the Friday hearing. When asked about victim notification, should that happen, he said Sycamore police have been working very closely with the victim on the case.

“And we will help make sure she is notified if that would, God forbid, happen,” Amato said.

Katie Finlon

Katie Finlon

Katie Finlon covers local government and breaking news for DeKalb County in Illinois. She has covered local government news for Shaw Media since 2018 and has had bylines in Daily Chronicle, Kendall County Record newspapers, Northwest Herald and in public radio over the years.