From the State’s Attorney:
COURT GRANTS STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE’S PETITION TO DETAIN MAN FOR DOMESTIC BATTERY
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese announced today that the Honorable Judge Christopher Harmon granted the State’s motion to deny pretrial release for Charles Gozzola, 51, of Wonder Lake, Illinois.
Gozzola appeared in Initial Appearance Court on November 13, 2025, charged with two counts of Domestic Battery, class A misdemeanors.
Evidence was presented in court this afternoon that Charles Gozzola struck the victim on her face, causing visible red marks to her eye socket after an argument.
While in custody overnight pending this afternoon’s hearing, Gozzola attempted to contact the victim over fifty times via phone calls from inside the jail.
Gozzola had previously been charged with domestic battery against the same victim in 2024 but was found not guilty of those charges after a bench trial.
Gozzola has a prior conviction for Second Degree Murder of his first wife in Cook County from 2000.
The Court granted the State’s petition to detain in this case based upon the specific facts of this case, Gozzola’s criminal history and the numerous calls made to the victim prior to the hearing, finding that there are no conditions or combination of conditions that can keep the victim safe from Gozzola while these charges are pending.
Gozzola’s next court appearance is scheduled for November 19, 2025, in courtroom 203.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
