Court Keeps 18-Year-Old Jailed in Streator Gunpoint Theft Case

Joshua T. Hayes, 18, remains behind bars while the Streator case moves forward. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. decided that no set of release conditions could adequately protect the public. Hayes is due back in La Salle County Circuit Court on Oct. 2 for arraignment.

The reported crime happened at 12:26 p.m. Tuesday on the 500 block of West Frech Street. It was outside a residence, not at a business. Prosecutors say two males took cash and cannabis from a man inside a vehicle. One of them put a gun to the victim's head. Police are still looking for the second suspect. Prosecutor Kelley Porter said the person who is still free used the gun, while Hayes took part in the robbery. She also said several witnesses put Hayes at the scene.

The case is more complicated than a simple description of the event. Public Defender Ryan Hamer described the victim as a drug dealer and argued that the proof tying Hayes to the incident and two seized handguns was weak. Prosecutors said the victim's description of the gun matched one of the weapons found later during a search of Hayes' apartment building. Porter argued that home confinement would not reduce the danger because the alleged crime occurred outside Hayes' home.

Hayes faces one count of armed robbery, classified as a Class X felony. A conviction could bring six to 30 years in prison, with probation unavailable. At the time of his arrest, he was on conditional discharge for a battery. His juvenile record also included a firearms offense that led to time in custody. Porter said that history showed he might not follow release rules.