Duane Meyer, 43, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated arson and one count of concealment of a homicidal death in connection with an Oct. 19, 2016, Byron house fire.

A Whiteside County man has been charged with criminal sexual assault, battery, and unlawful restraint in connection with a Dec. 31 incident

Saying he wasn’t comfortable with forcing the county to pay, a Whiteside County judge has denied the public defender’s office's request to hire an expert to watch consumptive DNA evidence testing in a case accusing a Sterling man of sexual assault and abuse.

The charges, filed Tuesday, Dec. 30, stem from a Dec. 7 incident in which the man is accused of possessing meth while carrying a loaded BB gun.

A 65-year-old Dixon man was charged Wednesday, Dec. 31, with home invasion and attempted murder, accused of entering a Dixon home and stabbing a man, according to Dixon police.

The Illinois State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the disorderly conduct charge brought against Kankakee County Treasurer Nick Africano on Dec. 3.

A Rock Falls man will stand trial on home invasion, sex assault, and battery charges after a Whiteside County judge on Friday denied a motion to dismiss the case

A Sterling man was charged Friday, Dec. 26, with felony aggravated battery after being accused of hitting and kicking two Sterling police officers on Christmas Eve.

A Sterling man accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl three years ago is headed to trial after a plea deal fell through Friday, Dec. 26.

Brett A. Barnes, 42, entered not guilty pleas on five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, one count of attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse and grooming.

Joshua S. McQuality, 28, was arrested Dec. 15 following a search at his residence by the Ogle County Special Operations Unit and sheriff’s office.

The charges, filed Oct. 10 in Whiteside County Circuit Court, accused man of striking Sterling police officer, grabbing the officer by the vest and kicking him on Oct. 9.

Matthew S. Robinson, 29, was sent back to the Ogle County Jail on Wednesday, Dec. 17, as he faces charges of dissemination of images of child sex abuse and possession with the intent to disseminate images of the sexual abuse of children.

Randy Belmonte-Lopez, 36, faces two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

A federal prison inmate at FCI Thomson was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in connection with the 2020 murder of his cellmate

A Rock Falls man whose plea agreement in a case accusing him of home invasion, sex assault, and aggravated battery was turned down in Whiteside County Circuit Court says his right to a speedy trial has been violated and is asking that the case be dismissed

Bradley police made another arrest in an Oct. 2 incident where officers discovered an alleged marijuana growing operation in the 100 block of South Jefferson Avenue while investigating an armed robbery in progress.

Jonathon Gounaris, 33, appeared by video from the Winnebago County Jail on Thursday, Dec. 11, for a pretrial status hearing.

Trevor Brandner is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, six counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual abuse and four counts of domestic battery.

Derek Swanlund, 45, is charged with fatally shooting Cameron Pasley on April 21 in what police describe as a “domestic incident".

Mark Cooper, 48, was sentenced in absentia Tuesday, Dec. 9, following an outburst at his sentencing hearing, during which he verbally berated the judge and threatened to spit on a deputy.

An Ogle County judge ruled Friday, Dec. 5, to suppress evidence seized during a 2024 search of a Woosung man’s home in part because police did not alert the court that the man had a medical cannabis card.

A Rock Falls man was sentenced Monday to up to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possessing images of child sexual abuse

Jered T. Vautsmeier, 22, pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to the misdemeanor offense when he appeared in Ogle County Circuit Court - other charges were dismissed through a plea agreement.

A Sterling man has pleaded not guilty to multiple weapons charges filed after an October shooting that damaged a residence in that city.

Joseph G. Dreesen, 25, entered his plea Wednesday, Dec. 3 and asked for a jury trial.

Christopher L. Reed, 31, pleaded guilty to the Class X felony when he appeared in court for a pretrial hearing with his attorney.

Scott E. Hagerman of Rock Falls was found guilty Wednesday of beating Ronald Fistler Jr. in August 2022 and causing a brain stem injury

A Whiteside County jury began hearing testimony Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in the trial of a Rock Falls man accused of beating a 61-year-old man in 2022 and causing a brain stem injury.

A Sterling man being held in the Whiteside County Jail on a 2022 arson and home invasion case now faces additional charges that accuse him of assaulting a jailer.

A Chicago man has been charged with threatening state Sen. Andrew Chesney, a Republican who represents portions of northern Illinois, including Carroll County and parts of Ogle and DeKalb counties

Andrew W. Knapp was taken into custody on Thursday when the Illinois State Police Special Weapons and Tactics Team executed a search warrant at a Sterling residence, according to a news release

More than three years after he was charged with aggravated battery, the case of a Rock Falls man accused of beating a neighbor so badly that he died almost three weeks later will go to trial Dec. 2, 2025.

A Prophetstown man has pleaded not guilty to driving while high on drugs and causing a two-vehicle crash that left another man dead last May

Police allege a woman had a large, bleeding bump on her head and red marks around her neck, indicating she had been choked, as a result of a Nov. 8 beating

A Dixon man has been charged with multiple weapons offenses after he made threatening video calls while brandishing a firearm, according to Dixon police

Sarah Safranek, 38, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, to first-degree murder in connection with the February 2021 death of her son.

Two Amboy men were charged with delivering methamphetamine in late October following separate investigations by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Jonathon Gounaris, 33, is charged with shooting three members of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team after a three-hour standoff when police tried to enter his home in Lost Lake, a rural subdivision east of Dixon in June 2024.

Derek Swanlund, 45, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the April 21 death of Cameron Pasley, 25, also of Mt. Morris.

The prosecuting attorney told a Lee County judge Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, that a plea deal is being negotiated in the case of a Dixon man accused of disseminating images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Harley Canas, 26, of Rock Falls, is charged in Whiteside County with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and endangering the life or health of a child, a misdemeanor, according to Whiteside County court documents.

A Rock Falls man has been charged in Whiteside County with felony weapons violations and resisting arrest

Officers' search of a Savanna residence on Tuesday led to the seizure of three assault rifles, unlawful firearm silencers, ammunition, high-capacity assault rifle magazines and firearm components, according to the Savanna Police Department

A concerned citizen reached out to the Prophetstown Police Department after observing a 12-year-old child with apparent facial injuries, according to the Illinois State Police

Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis stated Sunday he has been made aware by members of the public that ICE agents and perhaps other federal agencies are in Kankakee.

Police say they seized more than 46 pounds of cannabis with an estimated street value of more than $200,000 in April 2024, after what they described as a lengthy investigation.

Sarah Safranek is accused of suffocating her son, Nathaniel Burton, in the family’s Oregon home in February 2021. An Ogle County judge on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, denied her request that a new judge preside over her case.

Sharlyn Grace, the deputy public defender for policy at the Cook County Public Defenders' Office, noted that ICE has not coordinated with court authorities, especially in cases where immigrants have been detained while at court on other business.

A Polo man was sentenced Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, to 5 years in prison for a January 2022 crash on a Sterling bridge that killed a pedestrian and injured a police officer.