Police say a convicted murderer has been arrested after he confronted his estranged wife, who has an order of protection against him, and fired shots at a restaurant in Marengo.
The Marengo Police Department responded around 11:07 p.m. Friday to Casa Botanera, 228 South State Street, for a report of a man firing shots into the air from a handgun.
Marengo police officers and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and learned the offender was no longer on the scene.
Officers speaking to the victim and witnesses were able to identify the offender as Rudy A. Villarreal Jr., 49, of Elgin.
Marengo Police Department Sgt. Adam Boyce said Villarreal entered the restaurant and found his estranged wife inside.
The woman is the petitioner in an active order of protection against Villarreal.
An argument ensued and Villarreal exited the bar through the rear where the argument continued, Boyce said.
Witnesses reported that Villarreal pulled a firearm from his waistband and fired multiple rounds into the air.
Villarreal fled the scene. No one was injured as a result of the gunfire, Boyce said.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Villarreal charging him with armed violence, felon in possession of a firearm, violation of an order of protection, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a firearm in a liquor establishment and reckless discharge of a firearm.
The most serious charge, armed violence, is a Class X felony that carries six to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Villarreal was taken into custody Wednesday evening by the Elgin Police Department.
Court records show Villarreal was convicted of murder at an Elgin bar and sentenced in 1995 to 50 years in prison.
He was transported to the McHenry County Jail where he is being held on a $300,000 bond.