Marengo man accused of holding woman against her will in his trailer with a shotgun – Shaw Local

Prosecutors say a Marengo man held a woman against her will in his trailer with a shotgun Friday, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County.

Stephen A. Dracousis, 29, of the 19600 block of Harmony Road, Marengo, was charged with aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping, aggravated domestic violence, aggravated restraint, possession of a firearm with a revoked gun owner's license and violating conditions of pretrial release. Aggravated kidnapping is a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Dracousis, who also has an Aurora address in the 300 block of Old Indian Trail, is accused of locking a woman in his trailer armed with a shotgun at Lehman's Lakeside RV Resort in Marengo on Friday, according to court documents. He choked the alleged victim until he could no longer breathe, coughed and vomited, McHenry County Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Marin said. Dracousis threatened to use the shotgun on the woman and himself by holding the gun to her head and putting the barrel in his mouth. The woman was taken to the hospital and had bruises on her chest, Marin said.

According to court records, Dracousis was free after violating pre-release conditions on Friday. In a case out of DeKalb County, Dracousis is charged with aggravated domestic violence. His conditions of pretrial release required him not to possess or control a firearm, which he violated, Marin said.

Kane County records show Dracousis was convicted of various counts of assault and disorderly conduct in 2022 and of possession of ammunition without a FOID card in 2020.

Marin asked the judge to deny temporary release because Dracousis posed a “real and present threat to the safety” of the victim, according to court documents. Dracousis appeared in court for an initial hearing on Saturday, where Judge Cynthia Lamb approved the motion to deny provisional release.

McHenry County Public Defender Kim Messer said initial police reports had “inconsistencies” and that the guns belonged to the alleged victim.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office sent out an alert Friday about a “heavy police presence” at Dracousis' mobile home for an “isolated domestic incident.”

Dracousis is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.