PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A 16-year-old boy was ordered held in custody at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center for allegedly shooting another teen earlier this month.
That’s the ruling of Peoria County Judge Sean Donahue regarding Jimichael Brown who was charged Thursday with aggravated battery in connection with the Nov. 9 shooting in the 2300 block of West Ann Street which is near Manual High School.
The judge noted that type of offense, aggravated battery with a firearm, was one of the qualifying offenses that could make a person be held pending trial. The state’s SAFE-T Act abolished cash bail but created new standards for how and when a person is held in custody.
Donahue said based upon the charge, he believed Brown presented a danger to the community and also that the high school was locked down briefly.
He also noted that the victim appeared to be unknown to Brown. The judge did note that Brown doesn’t have much criminal history. He’s currently on juvenile probation for theft, the judge said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Terry Muench sought to have the boy held pending the outcome of his case, saying the type of offense, and that it happened near a school, Manual High. His attorney Susan O’Neil argued he should be released given his age.
Muench said the 17-year-old victim was shot while walking to school. The victim said Brown allegedly came up to him, asked him where he was from and when he didn’t reply, shot him in the leg.
Muench said the victim was in the hospital for several days. Later, he picked Brown out of a lineup, the prosecutor said in open court.
Normally, Brown would be tried in the juvenile division of Peoria County Circuit Court but the case was automatically transferred
On Wednesday, Peoria police officers raided a small home in the 1100 block of West Nebraska Avenue looking for a different boy, also 16, who had a warrant out for his arrest due to his noncompliance using an ankle monitoring bracelet.
While there, they found Brown who is also linked to a shooting Tuesday morning that struck a door at the high school, said Police Chief Eric Echevarria on Wednesday during an impromptu press conference in front of the house.
If Brown is convicted of the aggravated battery charge, he faces at least six years and possibly up to 30 years in prison. That’s very different from the juvenile court where he could only be held until his 21st birthday and all court records are sealed to the public.
He will next appear in court on Dec. 6 for a preliminary hearing, though it is likely a grand jury will hear the case before then.
