La Salle County Court

The investigation into the Easter Sunday shooting has led to a criminal charge for a Streator man.

A Streator man has been charged with murder in the Easter Sunday shooting that killed a teen and injured two others, both of whom were discharged from a hospital.

A California man was granted home confinement, cut off his bracelet and spent a year on the lam. Now, Teren Overbeck is back in custody and La Salle County prosecutors want him to stay there.

The search is on for a new family court judge in La Salle County.

La Salle County Associate Judge Michelle A. Vescogni is now a circuit judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Bureau and Grundy counties.

A Streator man charged with murder was denied home confinement with an ankle monitor at a Thursday hearing. Joshua Casey then was returned to La Salle County Jail to await a jury trial scheduled July 14.

An Ottawa woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for disseminating child sexual abuse images.

Nicolaus Phillips says police had no business questioning him about an Ottawa shooting death without a lawyer present. Prosecutors say it’s a moot point because Phillips waived his rights. Who is correct? A La Salle County judge will settle that Friday, May 16.

An Earlville man pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges Thursday and faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced July 25.

A La Salle County grand jury has indicted a La Salle woman for allegedly fracturing her baby’s leg and a Streator woman for firing shots during a neighborhood dispute.

An Ottawa man awaits a detention hearing after discharging a pistol while children were present – and despite a felony record that precluded him from possessing a weapon.

A Spring Valley man pleaded guilty to firing gunshots in La Salle – nobody was injured in the 2021 incident – and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

A La Salle woman was released from custody Friday after a judge warned her she could face up to 30 years if convicted of fracturing her baby’s leg.

Chester Weger still is set for what attorneys termed a "mini-trial" – a chance to prove he didn’t commit the Starved Rock murders – but Weger’s judge set limits on what evidence can be disclosed before trial.

A Streator man charged with felony weapons offenses after a shooting – two rounds were fired into a Streator home – is headed to prison for three years.

A Streator man accused of strangling a woman still is trying to find a lawyer. Joshua Casey’s detention hearing was moved to April 17 while he looks for one.

A La Salle man faces up to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to felony charges stemming from a gun and drug seizure.

A Chicago man is headed to prison for nine years for selling fentanyl-laced heroin to undercover agents in Utica.

A Streator man accused of strangling a woman was indicted Tuesday for murder.

Drug agents said they seized a pair of .9-mm pistols, 34 grams (.07 pounds) of purported cocaine and 151 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The man charged in connection with the seizure was granted release from La Salle County Jail – for now, anyway.

A Streator woman was released from La Salle County Jail, with conditions, after being charged Thursday with repeatedly firing a pistol in the 100 block of East Sumner Street. There were no injuries.

A Streator man charged with strangling a woman still doesn’t have a lawyer and isn’t ready to argue detention.

Two judges and a former state’s attorney are among the 11 applicants for the circuit judgeship vacated by Cynthia M. Raccuglia, who retired recently due to medical issues.

A Spring Valley man was put on probation Thursday after pleading guilty to trying to bilk a La Salle bank out of more than $17,000.

A registered child sex offender pleaded guilty Thursday to loitering near Ransom grade school. Tomure Adams could face three years in prison.

An Ottawa man faces a mandatory trip to prison if convicted of delivering more than 15 grams of cocaine to undercover agents. Three more suspects were charged in sting operations.

La Salle County Circuit Clerk Greg Vaccaro announced Monday the Illinois Supreme Court has awarded a Court Technology Modernization grant in the amount of $171,980 to the La Salle County courts.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Eleven candidates have applied for the circuit judgeship vacancy created by the retirement of Cynthia M. Raccuglia.

Investigators obtained two admissions from Streator murder suspect Joshua Casey and think they have a motive for why Casey allegedly strangled Jessica Balma.

A Streator man faces a mandatory trip to prison if convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, seized during a Sunday traffic stop that also yielded cocaine. But William Phillips faces less serious charges than police anticipated after his arrest near Lostant.

A Streator man awaits a detention hearing after La Salle County deputies seized an illegal firearm and drugs from a Sunday traffic stop near Lostant.

Chester Weger is moving to Missouri.

A Streator woman was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for dealing drugs and for a botched robbery in Streator, during which shots were fired. No one was injured.

A Streator man will be held in La Salle County Jail for at least the next two weeks after prosecutors charged him with strangling Jessica Balma inside a Streator residence.

Authorities have identified the body found Tuesday in a Streator residence and a Streator man is charged with killing her.

A Chicago man is headed to prison after pleading guilty Thursday to selling fentanyl-laced heroin to undercover agents.

A Streator man will be held in La Salle County Jail for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

Nicolaus Phillips said his rights were violated when he was said to have made incriminating statements about the shooting death of Eric Clements in Ottawa. Tuesday, prosecutors said there were no such violations.

A Montgomery man agreed to a plea deal Friday that avoided further jail time for him for threatening a La Salle County judge in a pair of recorded phone calls.

About a week after Eric Clements was shot to death outside his Ottawa home, the alleged triggerman spoke to police. Now, Nicolaus Phillips wants a judge to throw out the statement.

That was no firecracker thrown into a fire pit at Hi-Tide Campground near Leland, a judge ruled Thursday. It was a gunshot. Joseph Pawelczyk was found guilty of firing it.

A parolee was wanted for three alleged drug deals conducted in 2024. When the police caught him, they said they found 5 ounces (about one-third pound) of purported cocaine. Mariano Verucchi now faces up to 40 years in prison.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Another suspect has been apprehended in the Streator drug and theft ring.

An Ottawa man was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison for an armed Ottawa home invasion, during which shots were fired.

A Marseilles man will stand trial April 28 for allegedly setting fire to his brother’s house while his brother was trapped inside.

A Marseilles man accused of killing his dad on Father’s Day weekend waived his right to a jury trial Wednesday. Logan Petre will stand trial before a judge May 28.

La Salle County’s first female judge is calling it a career.

A teen was put on probation Oct. 29 for bringing a gun on into Ottawa High School. The next day, he was charged with possessing a stolen car. Now, he’s headed into residential treatment.