From the State’s Attorney:
COURT DETAINS SLEEPY HOLLOW MAN CHARGED IN BRUTAL ROADWAY BEATING OF 61-YEAR-OLD MOTORIST
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announced today that the Honorable Judge Michael Feetterer granted the State’s petition to deny pretrial release for Julio C. Salas, 35, of Sleepy Hollow, Illinois.
Salas appeared in Initial Appearance Court on June 15, 2026, charged with
- Aggravated Unlawful Restraint (class 3 felony),
- two counts of Aggravated Battery/Public Place (class 3 felonies),
- two counts of Aggravated Battery/Deadly Weapon (class 3 felonies),
- one count of Mob Action (class 4 felony),
- one count of Aggravated Assault/Public Property (class A misdemeanor), and
- two counts of Battery (class A misdemeanors).
According to evidence presented in court, at approximately 4:00pm on Saturday, June 13, 2026, Salas, along with a group of an estimated 15-20 motorcyclists acted in concert in forcing the victim, a 61-year-old man, to stop his vehicle on Illinois Route 31 near Virginia Road in Crystal Lake.
Once stopped, it is alleged that Salas approached the man’s car, along with other motorcyclists from his group, and struck the victim multiple times in the face and head with both his fists and a motorcycle helmet.
During the altercation, it is also alleged that Salas displayed a large knife which he had in a scabbard on his belt.
As a result of the attack, the victim sustained multiple injuries to his body, including significant bruising and swelling beneath his right eye.
After the attack, Salas, and the rest of the group of motorcyclists fled the scene.
Responding officers from the Crystal Lake Police Department were able to stop most of the riders.
The victim was brought to various locations where the motorcyclists had been stopped and was able to identify Salas as the primary aggressor who had battered him.
At the detention hearing, prosecutors successfully argued that the defendant posed a real and present threat to the safety of the victim and the community.
After considering the evidence and arguments presented, the Court granted the State’s petition and ordered that the defendant remain detained pending trial.
State’s Attorney Freese stated: “Violence on our roadways will not be tolerated. The allegations in this case describe a baseless, senseless, and brutal attack on a 61-year-old man by a group of motorcyclists. We will continue to aggressively seek detention when the facts demonstrate, as they did in this case, that a defendant poses a threat to the safety of others.”
Salas’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 16, 2026, in Courtroom 302.
Members of the public are reminded that a criminal complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt.
The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, at which the State bears the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
