Harvard man accused of shooting partygoer sentenced to probation to undergo anger management assessment – Shaw Local

A man accused of shooting another man in the foot during a party near Harvard has pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm and was sentenced to two years probation.

Other more serious offenses against 41-year-old Daniel A. Morales — including aggravated assault with discharge of a firearm, a Class X felony — were initially dismissed. Had he been convicted on this charge, he could have faced a prison sentence of between six and 30 years. Other dismissed charges include aggravated assault and battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, McHenry County court documents show.

According to a court order signed by Judge Tiffany Davis, Morales was also ordered to undergo an anger management evaluation and follow any recommendations.

At approximately 1 a.m. on June 11, 2023, Harvard police and McHenry County sheriff's deputies arrived as shots were fired at a party in the 8800 block of Reese Road, which matches Morales' home address listed in court records, the sheriff's office said at the time of the arrest.

According to a criminal complaint and indictment against Morales, he fired a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, hitting a man in the left foot. Morales was accused of injuring the man and endangering the safety of “all other witnesses in the area,” the complaint said.

Upon arriving at the residence, police made contact with three people outside a barn on the property, including Morales, police said.

“This was discovered during the investigation [Morales] and another partygoer had a verbal argument that led to this [Morales] He pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a bullet into the floor of the barn,” a police news release said at the time. “He then walked out of the barn and fired another bullet into the ground. The victim, who initially left the scene and then returned, had a wound on his left foot.”

When Morales entered his plea Thursday, he was also ordered to have no contact with the man he is accused of shooting, according to the sentencing order.

Attempts to reach Morales' attorney were not immediately successful.