Chicago man pleads guilty in Ottawa gun-drug bust, last of 3 charged

They sped from an Ottawa traffic stop, ditched the stolen car and were caught with drugs and a gun, sending a school into lockdown. Now, the last of the three suspects has pleaded guilty.

Shimund R. Jones of Chicago appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court and entered a blind plea to one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (ecstasy), a Class 4 felony carrying an extended sentence of one to six years in prison because of his criminal history.

Jones will have an opportunity to address La Salle County Circuit Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia at sentencing, which is set for 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7.

Jones was charged March 16, 2023, after he and two others sped from a traffic stop in the 1300 block of La Salle Street in Ottawa. The vehicle was reported stolen out of Schiller Park. The fleeing vehicle crashed into a car, and the passengers fled on foot. Ottawa police officers apprehended Jones, and the resulting search yielded ecstasy.

Two others were charged. Kemar R. Mathews-Hill, 26, of Chicago pleaded guilty late last year to possession of a stolen motor vehicle (his gun charge was dismissed as part of the plea) and recently was paroled after serving part of a three-year sentence.

The third suspect was a Chicago woman who was 17 years old at the time. She was charged with felony drug possession and two misdemeanors. Within a few weeks, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year of court supervision, which was transferred to Cook County.