A Rochelle teenager will remain in the Ogle County Jail as he faces felony charges of shooting at a vehicle.

Camren Hastings, 18, was denied pretrial release on Wednesday, Oct. 29, after appearing in court with his attorney, Assistant Ogle County Public Defender Eric Morrow.

Hastings, who turned 18 in July, is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, and aggravated use of a firearm as a person under the age of 21, a Class 4 felony.

Both charges are in connection with an Oct. 4 incident in which he is accused of firing a gun in the direction of a vehicle that was occupied by another person.

Hastings was arrested after a search warrant was executed Tuesday by the Rochelle Police Department’s Emergency Response Team at 7:10 a.m. in the 400 block of Lake Lida Lane.

“The search warrant stemmed from an incident on Oct. 4 where a vehicle had been shot approximately 13 times in the 100 block of Willis Ave.,” according to a Rochelle Police Department news release.

Wednesday was the first court appearance for Hastings. During detention hearings, a judge determines whether to release a defendant from custody as the case proceeds through the court system.

Criteria used by judges to make that decision include the nature of the alleged offenses, whether the defendant’s release would pose a “clear and present danger” to the community or certain individuals, and whether the defendant is considered to be a “flight risk” and likely will not appear again for scheduled court cases.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten said Hastings was one of a group of people who were seen “shooting at vehicles” on Oct. 4.

“There were 10 individuals walking on the street shooting guns,” Leisten told Associate Judge Anthony Peska. “One of those was identified as Camren Hastings.”

Video footage obtained by officers showed 4 males and 2 females - some appearing to be juveniles – running into a nearby cornfield, Leisten told the court. He said it appeared that between 13-14 shots were fired at the vehicle during the incident.

Leisten said police collected 12 bullet casings and two firearms near the scene.

“The bullet holes in the vehicle were consistent with the guns found,” Leisten said, arguing that Hastings should remain in custody because he posed a danger to the Rochelle community.

“The defendant shot at vehicles in a neighborhood where other people are,” Leisten said. “We don’t believe he has the maturity to be released.”

Morrow disagreed, telling Peska that Hastings could be released with court-ordered conditions such as home confinement and electronic monitoring. Those conditions would allow Hastings to continue to attend school at the Chana Educational Center in Chana, Morrow argued.

“He rides the bus from his home to Chana for school,” Morrow said, noting that Hastings did not have a driver’s license. “There is no reason for him to be anywhere else except at home or school.”

Morrow said Hastings had no criminal history as an adult or juvenile and had scored a zero on the pretrial risk assessment. In those assessments, defendants are rated from 0-14 as to their risk if released, with zero being the lowest score.

“He’s never been in any trouble before,” argued Morrow. “I realize the seriousness of the charges, but there are conditions [the court could set] to mitigate any risk.”

Peska disagreed.

“The seriousness is very significant, to the people in the car and others,” said Peska. “There are no conditions that can mitigate the safety of others.”

Peska remanded Hastings to the Ogle County Jail and set his next court date for 10 a.m. Nov. 5.

On Oct. 6, the Rochelle Police Department issued this information following the Oct. 4 incident:

“On Saturday, Oct. 4, at approximately 11:10 p.m., Rochelle Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Willis Avenue for a report of suspicious activity. The caller reported a large group of individuals, all dressed in black, causing a disturbance in the roadway.

“A short time later, police received additional reports near Southview and Randall of a vehicle being shot at by a large group of subjects matching the same description.

“Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle that had been struck by gunfire approximately eight times. The driver reported that while traveling down the street, a large group attempted to stop their vehicle. The driver did not stop and instead drove around the group. The driver and several passengers stated that as they passed, they heard gunshots striking the vehicle. Fortunately, no one in the vehicle was injured.

“The group was last seen running west from the area. Police recovered two firearms in close proximity to the scene.”