Seneca stabbing suspect ordered held in jail

A Seneca man told James Grimm that he smelled bad. Grimm didn’t like that, prosecutors say, so he allegedly stabbed the man in a Saturday bar fight.

That was enough for a judge to order Grimm, 42, of South Holland ordered held Monday in La Salle County Jail until he stands trial for aggravated battery (great bodily harm), a Class 3 felony carrying two to five years in prison.

Seneca police said in a report that officers were dispatched at 1:22 a.m. Saturday, to a fight in progress at Fat Daddyz. While officers were en route, they were informed that a person had been stabbed (he suffered a collapsed lung) and the alleged assailant fled the scene. Police located the suspect vehicle and Grimm, who was driving, was taken into custody.

Monday, Grimm appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and was granted the services of Public Defender Ryan Hamer.

Hamer asked to have Grimm released with conditions, arguing Grimm lives outside La Salle County, virtually ensuring no contact with the victim and needs to be free for multiple medical appointments following orthopedic surgery.

Hamer further argued that Grimm has a distant criminal history (a domestic from 17 years ago) and scored “very low” on a risk assessment, scoring 3 on a 14-point scale.

“It’s unfortunate we have a person who is injured – I hope he’s going to be OK – but this is a case where detention is not warranted,” Hamer said.

But prosecutor Laura Hall said investigators obtained both eyewitness testimony and video surveillance footage of the stabbing. Police also seized a knife from Grimm’s vehicle, she said and Grimm acted with “such a quick trigger.”

“To say that somebody stinks isn’t a reason to stab him,” Hall said.

La Salle County Circuit Judge Michelle A. Vescogni agreed and refused to release Grimm with conditions and/or electronic monitoring.

Grimm’s detention order gives him the right to trial within 90 days, so Vescogni ordered him to return to court on July 17 for arraignment.