A longtime Sycamore business owner, Shawn Thrower, 62, owner of Shawn's Coffee Shop and Princess Alex Ice Cream in downtown Sycamore will not serve jail time after he was found guilty Oct. 15 of battering a 15-year-old female employee. Thrower was charged in February with two counts of misdemeanor battery after records show he picked her up, slapped her buttocks and bit her on the neck during one of her shifts at the café. He was sentenced Nov. 13 by DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen to 24 months of court supervision. Thrower testified in his own defense Oct. 15 in a bench trial with no jury and denied battering the girl, though court records show he'd previously told Sycamore police he "grabbed somewhere I shouldn't have." The victim and her mother, of Sycamore both testified and were present for the sentencing. The case brought division for months throughout DeKalb County: Thrower, a longtime, well-liked business man, a 1997 graduate of Northern Illinois University and a star athlete, and the victim, a 15-year-old girl in the first months of her first job, who during the trial and sentencing said she was hesitant to come forward with her allegations because of his public reputation. Thrower’s charges and court proceedings led to strong reactions from the public, including several protests held by local activists standing up for Thrower’s victim. Others expressed strong support of Thrower, patronizing his businesses during the protests and condemning those who spoke out against him.