One of three Lake County men charged in a shootout in broad daylight in McHenry last year where over 50 shots were fired has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Dante L. Terrell, Jr., 30, of Zion, was charged in August 2021 with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Terrell entered into a negotiated plea deal on Friday with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, court records show.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 2 felony, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the rest of his charges, including attempted murder.
McHenry County Judge James Cowlin approved the plea and sentenced Terrell to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The sentence will be served at 50% and he will receive credit for 552 days of time served in the county jail.
Terrell’s attorney, Robert T. Ritacca, said the prosecution was “very fair in the matter.”
The prosecutor, Jim Newman, is a former Lake County assistant state’s attorney, who is familiar with the three defendants in the case from previous prosecution, Ritacca said.
Ritacca said the plea deal offered by the state’s attorney’s office was reasonable “based on the culpability” of Terrell.
The second suspect in the case, Deontae Wade, 27, of Zion, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The third suspect, Davontae L. Newkum, 27, of North Chicago, who was charged in September 2021, is facing charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.
The charges stem from a shooting that occurred around 1:25 p.m. on August 29, 2021, near the intersection of Route 31 and Bull Valley Road in McHenry.
Prosecutors said Terrell was in the area on his way to a football game when another vehicle approached the intersection.
Terrell, Wade, Newkum and others began shooting at each other, prosecutors and court records said, adding that the subjects involved had interacted with each other earlier at a gas station.
Ritacca said that Wade and Terrell have children in common with the same woman.
It is believed the motive for the shooting was family-related and was not gang-related, Ritacca added.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said that Terrell fired an FN 509 9mm pistol during the incident.
He was not legally in possession of the gun as he did not have a FOID card, the complaint said.
A second criminal complaint said that Wade discharged a handgun at other vehicles during the incident. Wade is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess a firearm, the complaint said.
A third criminal complaint said Newkum discharged a firearm toward a Nissan Maxima that was occupied and possessed an AR-15-style pistol.
Newkum is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess firearms, the complaint said, adding that he possessed the gun at Prairie Ridge High School before the shooting occurred.
A nearby vehicle, sitting in traffic at the intersection, was also struck by the gunfire, McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Michael Spohn said.
Spohn said no injuries were reported in the shooting, which he called “an isolated incident.”
Several witnesses at the scene reported seeing dozens of spent casings on the ground just west of the intersection.
At least 50 evidence markers were placed over the casings as police investigated the scene. Spohn confirmed that over 50 shell casings were recovered.
Investigators took Terrell into custody within a couple of hours of the shooting.
A warrant was issued for Wade two days after the shooting.
Wade was on electronic monitoring at the time for an unrelated case and was due to be discharged from his sentence.
He returned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Community Based Correctional Center in Waukegan on September 8, 2021, to have his electronic monitoring device removed, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Just before Wade arrived, correctional officers learned the man was wanted on the arrest warrant for the McHenry shooting.
When Wade arrived back at the CBCC, correctional officers attempted to take him into custody on the warrant, Covelli said.
“Wade was able to defeat their attempt to handcuff him, and he fled out of the building. A correctional officer gave chase, however, Wade was able to flee,” Covelli said.
Numerous sheriff’s deputies, sheriff’s detectives, members of the sheriff’s special investigations group, and members of the sheriff’s tactical response team attempted to locate and apprehend Wade without success.
Officers with the Lakemoor Police Department conducted a traffic stop in March 2022 on a red 2012 Chevrolet near Route 120 and Darrell Road.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Wade, initially provided the officer with false information about his identity.
Wade attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody a short time later.
Wade remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $750,000 bond while Newkum is being held on a $500,000 bond. Their cases are both still active.
Lake County court records show Terrell in May pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for a shooting in Waukegan. He received 24 months of probation for that case.
Terrell remains held in the jail awaiting transport to the Illinois Department of Corrections.