Latest / Illinois Valley - Shaw Local / Guilty plea coming in La Salle KFC arson?

Transcript

Guilty plea coming in La Salle KFC arson? · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Guilty Plea Coming in LaSalle KFC Arson, written by Tom Collins.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice brought
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to you by Everlit. The suspect in the arson at
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: the Kentucky Fried Chicken in LaSalle has signaled he's ready
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: to plead guilty. Raymond McHugh, 34, of Byron, appeared Thursday
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: in LaSalle County Circuit Court on a pending charge of arson,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: a Class 2 felony carrying up to seven years in prison.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: He was set for trial September 14th. However, attorneys said
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: in open court they had reached an agreement in principle.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: They asked Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. to cancel
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: the trial setting. McHugh will appear October 1st for what
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: attorneys described as a global resolution to all his pending
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: felony and misdemeanor charges, including some not connected to the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: 2022 fire, including aggravated battery to a peace officer. McHugh
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: will have an opportunity to make a statement before the
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: scheduled plea. The plea, if consummated, will close out an
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: investigation launched early June 28, 2022, when firefighters raced to
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: the restaurant formerly located at 145 3rd Street. The building
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: was destroyed and has since been razed. The fire was
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: immediately deemed suspicious, and an investigation was launched by the
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: LaSalle Police Department's Investigations Division, LaSalle Fire Department personnel, and
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office. Investigators further determined the
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: business had been burglarized shortly before the fire was ignited.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Investigators developed McHugh, a former KFC employee, as the suspect. Nevertheless,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: linking McHugh to the fire required a lengthy analysis that
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: included visual surveillance and using cellular telephone records to disprove
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: McHugh's alibi.