A Zion man who showed up to his sentencing hearing drunk was sentenced to almost five years in prison for slashing a woman in the face with a knife in McHenry.
Rogelio Cantu Jr., 54, of Zion, was charged in January 2022 with aggravated domestic battery, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, interfering with the reporting of domestic violence and two counts of domestic battery enhanced.
The McHenry Police Department responded around 9 p.m. on January 8, 2022, to the 1900 block of Concord Drive in McHenry for a report of a stabbing.
The victim, a 52-year-old woman, reported being involved in a domestic dispute with Cantu.
McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh said Cantu was the woman’s live-in boyfriend at the time.
During the dispute, Cantu slashed the victim in the face with a knife, Walsh said.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said Cantu forced the woman to give him her cell phone, which prevented her from calling for help.
The victim was able to leave the residence and yell for help.
Neighbors who heard the woman came to her aid and called 911, Walsh said.
Paramedics transported the woman to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry with a non-life-threatening injury to her face.
She was treated and released a few hours later.
Court records show Cantu reached a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office last month.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and the rest of the charges were dismissed.
Cantu, who has been out of custody on bond pending trial, appeared in court on Thursday where the plea agreement was set to be entered.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt ordered Cantu to immediately report to the Department of Court Services and submit to a drug and alcohol screening.
Cantu provided a breath sample, which showed a blood alcohol content of 0.187 — more than twice the legal driving limit.
Gerhardt found Cantu in direct criminal contempt of court and ordered him to be taken into custody and serve two days in jail.
The court hearing resumed on Friday where the plea agreement was approved by Gerhardt.
The judge sentenced Cantu to four and a half years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the stabbing incident.
Cantu will be required to serve 85% of the sentence under truth-in-sentencing guidelines.