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Northwest Herald

Man avoids jail after being accused of firing gun, restraining woman inside Wonder Lake home

Was ordered to donate $50 to domestic violence nonprofit

Austin M. Lukac

A Belvidere man accused of firing a gun and restraining a person inside a home in Wonder Lake earlier this year was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge.

Austin M. Lukac, 23, was charged in January with aggravated restraint, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm, domestic battery and assault, court records show.

Lukac pleaded guilty to one count of domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge in a negotiated plea approved Wednesday by Judge Mark Gerhardt in McHenry County court.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped six other charges against Lukac. He was also ordered to pay nearly $3,000, including pretrial GPS monitoring fees and an order to contribute $50 to Turning Point, a Woodstock-based nonprofit that provides help to those affected by domestic violence, and $10 to Crime Stoppers. Lukac must also complete a gun safety class, according to court documents.

In January, Lukac was armed with a black Sig Sauer firearm and shot the gun at a wall after a woman in the home said she did not want to be in a relationship with him anymore, Assistant State’s Attorney Julio Cantre said during Lukac’s initial jail appearance before Judge Cynthia Lamb earlier this year.

Lukac also “used his hands to restrain” the woman on the bed and “covered her mouth” to prevent her from leaving or calling for help, according to a criminal complaint.

The woman hid in a closet and armed herself with scissors for self-defense because she was “so terrified, so desperate and afraid for her life,” Cantre said.

Lukac had been released from custody with conditions before pleading in the case.

Michelle Meyer

Michelle is a reporter for the Northwest Herald that covers Crystal Lake, Cary, Lakewood, Prairie Grove, Fox River Grove and McHenry County College