Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Tuesday, November 3, 2020
WHITESIDE NEWS
4
WHITESIDE COUNTY
Morrison man pleads guilty to pair of burglaries
Merema sentenced to five years in prison BY TIMOTHY EGGERT
teggert@saukvalley.com A 25-year-old Morrison man, who together with a Morrison teen committed a pair of thefts this fall, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two criminal felony counts of burglary, receiving a sentence of five years in prison. Colton M. Merema, arrested on Sept. 10, was initially charged with one count of residential burglary, a Class 1 Felony, and two counts of burglary – both Class 2 Felonies – after police said he broke into a residence by himself, and robbed a business and another residence with 18-year-old Logan D. Smith, of Morrison.
Prosecutors said Merema and Smith on Aug. 30 broke into a residential shed at 18876 Mellots Road, and on Sept. 2 robbed a temporary office owned by Inter Connection Systems Inc, Colton Merema a solar engineering firm located at 14488 Hillside Road. The pair removed tools and other items from both locations, according to prosecutors. Whiteside County Sheriff’s deputies found the reported stolen items during a search of Smith’s rural Morrison residence on Sept. 10, and Merema later admitted to committing the robberies with Smith, who is charged with two counts of burglary. Deputies also discovered a significant amount of methamphetamine and a firearm in their search of the residence.
Those findings led to Smith facing one count of of possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 1 Felony punishable by 4 to 15 years in prison, and one count of unlawful use of weapons for possessing a WARDS Hercules Model 10, 20-gauge shotgun with a barrel less than 18-inches. Smith is being held in Whiteside County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the four charges on Sept. 28, and has a pretrial conference scheduled for Dec. 8. Court filings further allege that Merema on Aug. 27 broke into and stole items from a residence at 19825 Matthew Road. That residential burglary charge, along with a trio of traffic tickets, will be dismissed under Merema’s agreement to plead guilty to the two burglary charges. He was sentenced Tuesday by 14th Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Trish A. Senneff to two concurrent
five year sentences in state prison. Merema will also be subject to two years of mandatory supervised release, more than $800 in fines and a restitution charge of $2,151.27 for damages related to the thefts. According to court records, Merema has a history of burglary, theft and physical assault convictions spanning from 2011 to 2018. Senneff acknowledged that criminal history Tuesday, telling Merema that his “permanent address seems to be the [Illinois] Department of Corrections” and that she hopes the IDOC doesn’t have “a wing named after you.” Merema said that he was “very tired” of spending his adult life in custody. “You’re a young man, and still have time to pull this together,” Senneff said. “I hope soon you see the light, that there’s something to jolt you awake and make you see this has got to stop.”
Feds arrest Morrison woman already charged with felony meth possession, intent to deliver BY TIMOTHY EGGERT
teggert@shawmedia.com A 29-year-old Morrison woman was arrested by federal drug enforcement agents on Oct. 28, likely in connection with a pair of criminal felony drug charges she already faces in Whiteside County. Brittiny M. Starr, free on bail since late May, was arrested outside of the Whiteside County Courthouse in Morrison Wednesday afternoon by authorities with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Starr, who was due in court for a 1:30 p.m. pretrial conference, arrived to the courthouse but did not make it past the indoor security checkpoint, according to Whiteside County Sheriff’s deputies who wit-
nessed her arrest. Before she could reach the door, DEA authorities stopped Starr and placed her in their custody, the deputies said. Whiteside County Sheriff John BookBrittinyStarr er confirmed that a federal warrant was issued for Starr’s arrest and that DEA authorities had executed it, but could not share details on the federal charges the warrant references. As of Wednesday evening, no charging documents against Starr had been filed in U.S. District Court. Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rockford and in Dav-
enport could not immediately be reached for comment. Officials with the DEA Office in Rockford also could not immediately be reached for comment. Starr’s arrest is likely related to a pair of Class X Felonies she was charged with on Jan. 27 in Whiteside County. Those criminal drug felonies include one count of unlawful possession of 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Starr pleaded not guilty to the two counts on April 6, after she was ruled fit to stand trial in March by 14th Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Trish A. Senneff. Starr’s original bond of $100,000
was reduced to $20,000 on May 20, and the same day she posted the 10% necessary for her release. Proceedings in her case have largely been postponed since then due to court constraints related to the coronavirus. Inside the courtroom where Starr was scheduled to appear Wednesday, Senneff had not been told of Starr’s arrest before calling her case, leading her to wonder if the court had “lost her” and to acknowledge that Starr was “MIA.” A bailiff notified Senneff of Star’s arrest, and Senneff continued the case until Nov. 25. If convicted of the two felonies, Starr could face fines of up to $300,000 and a mandatory minimum combined sentence of 15 to 70 years in state prison.
Avenue on a Jo Daviess County warrant, possession of methamphetamine and operating a motor vehicle with no insurance. He was transported to the Whiteside County Jail. Christopher A. Cox of Clinton, Iowa was arrested in the 400 block of 14th
Avenue for disobeying a traffic control device, operating an uninsured vehicle and no valid driver’s license. He was released with a notice to appear. Jamie A. Miller of Clinton, Iowa was cited for speeding in the 400 block of 19th Avenue. He was released with a
notice to appear. Nine calls for service.
FULTON POLICE Oct. 24-28 Betty J. Dobson of Clinton, Iowa was cited for speeding at Route 84 and 20th Avenue. She was released with a notice to appear. Daniel M. Baumgartner of Dubuque, Iowa was arrested at Route 84 and 14th
Individuals names in the above report have been merely accused of a charge, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
