April 20, 2026 | WALLS 102 - Part 12

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Ottawa man detained for Saturday tavern shooting

An Ottawa man was ordered detained Monday while awaiting trial on felony charges stemming from a Saturday shooting inside a bar.B.J. Redmond, 23, appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with three felony counts led by aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, both Class X felonies carrying six to 30 years in prison with no possibility of probation. The battery with a firearm charge is subject to the state Truth in Sentencing Act, requiring certain felons to serve 85% of their prison time. Additionally, Redmond is charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years.The victim remains hospitalized with what the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office described as “serious” injuries. The office declined to issue a condition report or medical update.In open court on Monday, Redmond applied for and was granted the services of the public defender. Assistant La Salle County Public Defender Brad Popurella said Redmond was at the receiving end of a physical altercation. He asked the judge to place Redmond on home confinement with GPS monitoring.Prosecutors opposed any form of pre-trial release. In open court, prosecutor Laura Hall said Ottawa police were dispatched early Saturday morning to the patio area of the Zeller Inn, where a subject brandished a firearm, fired it, and then fled.Hall said the victim sustained a shot to the torso after Redmond, according to witnesses, raised what witnesses described as a small black handgun. A .380-caliber shell casing was recovered at the scene, Hall said.The gun was produced following an altercation that was caught on video, Hall said, and Redmond was depicted handling the gun moments before the shot was fired.Hall said detention was the only appropriate remedy, as Redmond was already on pre-trial release for a pending felony charge of criminal damage to property.“He’s in violation of the conditions of pre-trial release,” Hall said. “We have a man in a bar with no legal right to carry a firearm, but he’s got it on him.”Hall further argued that Redmond poses a risk to the public, as he “fired this gun in a crowded area in a bar” and placed others at risk.Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. agreed that Redmond, who scored a seven on a 14-point risk assessment, posed a threat to others and was a poor candidate for another try at pre-trial release.A grand jury was expected to get the case on Tuesday. Redmond will next appear on Friday for arraignment.

Ottawa man detained for Saturday tavern shooting

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Ottawa man detained for Saturday tavern shooting

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

An Ottawa man accused of beating a woman over 60 – the victim remains hospitalized – will stay in jail for the time being.Aaron C. Haskins, 50, appeared Monday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with two counts of aggravated battery (great bodily harm). He could face up to seven years.La Salle County prosecutors were prepared for argue for detention, but Haskins emerged from a closed-door conference with the public defender and then advised a judge he would waive his right to hearing. He can revisit the issue, however.Haskins will next appear May 7 for arraignment. By that time, a La Salle County grand jury will have reviewed his two felony charges. His most serious count is a Class 2 felony carrying three to seven years at 85%.Meanwhile, the victim remains in a regional medical center with what the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office described as “devastating” injuries. The office declined to issue a condition report or medical update.While a detention hearing wasn’t needed, prosecutors did file a motion to deny Haskins pre-trial release. According to that filing, Ottawa police found the victim bloodied and unresponsive at 10:46 p.m. Thursday in a wooded area in between the 200 blocks of East Joliet and East Marquette streets. The victim was later transferred by air to OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, with “numerous injuries,” according to the court filing, including a brain bleed.Court records disclosed that Haskins was developed as a suspect after witnesses disclosed troubling comments Haskins made. One witness told police that Haskins said, “I got drunk and I beat her. I’m so sorry.” Another said Haskins phoned her and said he’d done something “very bad.” “I didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill her,” Haskins was quoted as saying, according to a court filing. “I could’ve killed her, but I didn’t kill her.”It was not yet clear whether Haskins gave a statement to police. According to court records, however, Ottawa police did retrieve from the victim’s phone threatening messages sent by Haskins on Wednesday, the eve of the beating.

Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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Ottawa man agrees to be held in ‘devastating’ beating case

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An Ottawa man accused of beating a woman over 60 – the victim remains hospitalized – will stay in La Salle County Jail for the time being.

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