Sterling homicide suspect still on the loose

STERLING – Police still are looking for a 35-year-old Sterling man they say shot and killed another man Saturday night.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Michael W. Bennett; he is charged with first-degree murder, and his bond is set at $2 million.

Bennett is 5-foot-8, about 225 pounds with brown hair and eyes. Although he is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, police do not think he is a danger to the general public.

Dead is 39-year-old Joshua N. Hamrick, whose body was found in his back yard at 901 W. 19th St. around 9:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at CGH Medical Center.

Two women also were at the home at the time of the shooting, Deputy Chief Pat Bartel said.

An argument broke out between the two men, who knew each other. No motive or other details from the scene are being released at this time.

Bennett, who has a lengthy felony history in Whiteside County, is on probation.

He was sentenced March 9, 2020, to two-and-a-half years probation for aggravated battery in a public place; charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a weapon were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

On June 27, 2018, he was sentenced to 6 months of conditional discharge for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a felony; charges of home invasion and being a felon in possession of a firearm were dismissed, also in a plea agreement.

On July 24, 2014, he was sentenced to 3 years for possession of a controlled substance; another 2014 case charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm was dismissed.

Bennett was sentenced to two-and-a-half years probation in October 2006 for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm; probation was revoked the following August and he was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

He was sentenced to 2 years in 2004 for having a firearm with an invalid FOID card and for possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana; attempted armed robbery and attempted aggravated robbery charges were dismissed in a plea agreement.

Meanwhile, an arrest also has yet to be made in the most recent homicide in rural Whiteside County.

The body of Jason A. Chapman, 43, was found in his yard on Front Street in the unincorporated village of Como around 12:30 a.m. July 5. He was shot.

His parents, Lorna and Dennis Hemminger of Sterling, are offering a $10,000 reward for information in the case.

The Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department is the lead investigator in that case.

Sheriff John Booker said in late March that his investigators have “some very good leads” that they are following up on, and he hoped to have more news in the next few weeks, he said.

“I believe we’re getting closer,” Booker said at the time.

Investigators say the shooting occurred between 10:15 p.m. July 4 and when Chapman’s body was discovered in his yard around 12:30 a.m. July 5. Evidence collected at the scene was sent to the State Police crime lab, and detectives have been conducting interviews. Results of the crime lab tests won’t be made public because of the ongoing investigation.

Como is a village of about 550 people about 2 miles west of Rock Falls off U.S. Route 30.

Anyone with information on either case can call Sterling Police at 815-632-6640, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department at 815-772-4044, or the anonymous reward hotline, Whiteside County Crime Stoppers, at 815-625-7867. Tipsters who have information that leads to an arrest or conviction are still eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.