A 25-year-old man convicted of stabbing his brother in the chest and trying to disarm a police officer in 2019 in Crystal Lake has been sentenced to four years in prison.
David E. Lepey, 25, of the 300 block of Elmwood Avenue in Crystal Lake, was charged with two counts of domestic battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery to a peace officer and disarming a peace officer.
Lepey entered into a blind plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, a Class 3 felony, and an amended charge of attempting to disarm a peace officer, a Class 2 felony.
In exchange, prosecutors dismissed the rest of his charges, court records show.
Christopher Lotesto, a Crystal Lake resident, wrote the letter in March to the Lakewood Village Board and provided details of the incident, which occurred on November 12, 2019.
Lotesto said he woke up that morning to find Lepey, who is his brother, standing in the hallway of Lotesto’s home holding a kitchen knife in his hand.
“I was home with my three children, and my wife, and still remember the anxiety and immediate fear I felt not knowing what was happening. I quickly got David to leave the hallway and go into the living room, as I barricade my wife and children in my bedroom and stood blocking the door, maybe six feet away from David.”
Lotesto said he had his wife call 911.
Police officers responded to the family’s home in the 500 block of Devonshire Lane in Crystal Lake after receiving a call of a man armed with a knife and acting abnormally, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said at the time.
“When they [the police] arrived they banged on the door over and over until I decided I needed to make a move and open the door. As I went downstairs David followed, faced me and lunged,” Lotesto said.
Lotesto said that everything happened “very fast” and he didn’t realize he was stabbed until police officers broke down the door and tasered Lepey.
“I stood up, and immediately noticed I was bleeding from the left side of my chest, right by my heart. Immediately my adrenaline turned into fear, I was two weeks out from my birthday, and just over a month from Christmas,” he said.
“I did not want to leave behind my family, and had no idea the extent of the wound as I just put as much pressure as I could with the help of the officers until medical attention arrived.”
Lotesto said that he was lucky the knife missed his heart and major organs. His brother was arrested following a scuffle with officers, one of which he disarmed.
“My brother David has a history of mental illness and drug addiction which I believe fueled this unprovoked attack, but my brother was released conditionally that he continues to take his prescribed medication, stays off recreational drugs, and remains on his ankle monitor,” Lotesto said in March following the incident.
In his letter to the village board, Lotesto specifically thanked Lakewood Police Department Officer Sean McGrath, who located Lepey on March 13 after Lepey tampered with his GPS ankle monitor while out on bond for the stabbing.
McGrath spotted Lepey walking in Lakewood and the man ran on foot into the woods. Lakewood and Crystal Lake police officers arrested him.
On Thursday, McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt sentenced Lepey to three years in prison on the aggravated battery charge and four years in prison on the attempted disarming of a peace officer charge.
The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Lepey will serve a maximum of four years total in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
According to a sentencing order, Wilbrandt is requiring Lepey to serve his four-year sentence at 50%.
He will also receive 387 days of credit for time served in the McHenry County Jail.