Two of five men charged in connection with an alleged drug-related home invasion earlier this year in unincorporated Waukegan near Gurnee pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court.
Jose Villegas, 27, and Pablo Calix, 19, both of Park City, face more than 20 felony counts including home invasion and armed robbery. Judge Victoria Rossetti on Wednesday said those two charges carry a mandatory minimum of 21 years in prison upon conviction, although the sentences may be served at 50 percent.
All five suspects also have been charged with additional felony violations including unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member and residential burglary.
The three other defendants, Javier Montes, 31, of Waukegan, Eduardo Solis-Marcelo, 26, of Waukegan, and Juan Bahena-Arcos, 21, of Park City, have filed motions for a different judge in their cases and have not yet been arraigned.
All are being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail, with the exception of Calix, who is being held on $400,000 bail.
Assistant State’s Attorney Rod Drobinski said the five men, each reputed street gang members, entered an occupied home on Harrison Avenue with a loaded gun Feb. 18 in what appears to be an attempted drug-related robbery.
No one was injured, according to Sgt. Curtis Gregory of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began at about 9:50 a.m. Feb.18, with the report of a home invasion on the 12000 block of Harrison Avenue, located on the border of unincorporated areas in Waukegan and Gurnee.
A 911 caller described a vehicle leaving the area and a sheriff’s deputy patrolling near Dilley’s and Stearns School roads spotted the vehicle and a chase ensued, police said.
The suspect’s vehicle pulled into a driveway on Conifer Lane and two of the defendants were apprehended while two others escaped on foot, according to police.
Another was captured while trying to make a telephone call to a friend inside the principal’s office at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, located about two blocks away from where the suspect vehicle stopped, according to the principal. A fourth defendant was caught near the church, according to Gregory.
Bahena-Arcos, the last defendant to be arrested, was taken into custody two days later in Highwood.
More Top Picks Best Reading Tracking Tools For Kids
On Wednesday, Rossetti scheduled Villegas’ next court hearing for May 13 with a trial date of June 1. Calix is next scheduled in court May 6 with a trial date also set for June 1.
Twitter @jimnewton5