Criminal charges filed against a Rock Falls man in connection with shots fired at a Rock Falls party last summer have been dropped as part of a plea deal.

Emillio Castro, 19, pleaded guilty Monday in Whiteside County Circuit Court to one count of burglary in connection with a May 2025 case in which he was accused of burglarizing a vehicle in Sterling. One count each of theft and criminal trespass to vehicles was dismissed as part of the agreement, and he was ordered to serve 30 months of probation along with 180 days of periodic jail time.

The terms of the plea agreement also led to the dismissal of a case filed against him in connection with shots fired at a June 2025 garage party in Rock Falls.

Castro, Ethon T. Hemminger, 19, and Baraka D. Boards, 22, both of Rock Falls, were each charged July 2 for the June 29 early-morning shooting in the 1300 block of Franklin Street.

Those charges included two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, six counts of aggravated battery, and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

The three were accused of showing up at the garage party unwelcome, masked and armed, threatening others at gunpoint, then shooting at the garage while running away.

Party-goers told police the three showed up at the party about 2:30 a.m. wearing masks, carrying guns, and at one point threatening to “blow off” the head of one of the partygoers.

Whiteside County Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Simon said during a July hearing that the partygoers had been swimming on the property when one of the three men, who was communicating by phone with a female guest at the party, asked if the three could come over to the house and join in the party. The female said the men could not come over because one of them did not get along with one of the other men at the party.

Simon said the partygoers were sitting in the garage a couple of hours later when three men showed up armed and told the guests to empty their pockets. The three men pointed guns at the seven people, with two of the men verbally threatening the guests, Simon said. Three partygoers suffered head wounds when they were beaten with guns, according to court documents.

The three armed men then ran out of the garage and fired at it from the outside as they fled the property; a nearby house on Minkle Street also was struck by a bullet, Simon said.

While the assailants were masked, partygoers identified Boards and Hemminger based on their eyes, voices, and gaits, Simon said during the July 3 detention hearing. Witnesses said they thought Castro was the third assailant, saying they recognized his eyes, Simon said.

Boards was arrested on July 2 at his residence. Hemminger and Castro turned themselves in that day at the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.

Hemminger and Boards each pleaded guilty in February to one count of reckless discharge of a firearm and were ordered to serve 30 months of probation and 180 days in jail, with all other charges dropped as part of their own plea deals.

If they had been convicted on the most serious charge, felony aggravated discharge of a firearm, they would have faced a possible 4- to 15-year prison term.