Urbana man, out on recognizance in alleged shooting, picked up in western Illinois

Mary Schenk, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—TOULON — An Urbana man who had been released from jail on recognizance after being charged with shooting a man in Urbana last month was arrested in western Illinois last week.

Noah Raices, 23, was arraigned Friday in Stark County for criminal trespass after being picked up early Thursday in Wyoming, Ill.

Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz, who said she had talked with Stark County State's Attorney Caroline Borden Campion, said Raices was arrested about 3 a.m. for allegedly trespassing at an older woman's home in that community of close to 1,300 people.

Rietz said he knocked on the door and window of a 78-year-old woman's home. She refused to answer, told him to go away and contacted authorities.

Stark County sheriff's deputies located Raices, who was holding a potato fork, slightly smaller than a pitch fork, that had come from the woman's garage. Rietz said Raices told the deputies that he was being pursued by people who were related to the Champaign man he allegedly shot in Urbana on Feb. 8 in the 800 block of Oakland Avenue, Urbana.

Rietz said that to her knowledge, deputies found no evidence of Raices' claim.

Raices had been charged Feb. 9 in Champaign County with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm for allegedly shooting a man who had tried to make contact with Raices' girlfriend in her Urbana apartment against her wishes. She called Raices to tell him that and Raices came to the Town & Country complex, confronting the man in the parking lot while armed.

Urbana police said the shooting victim and Raices struggled over the gun, which the victim apparently used to hit Raices in the face. Raices sustained a broken nose and required stitches to his face.

Urbana police said that in that struggle, the gun likely ended up on the ground and that Raices then allegedly picked it up and shot the 27-year-old man, who identified Raices as his shooter.

After Raices was charged, Judge Brett Olmstead allowed him to be released on recognizance. Raices is supposed to return to court in Urbana on that case Wednesday.

Rietz said Raices was also wanted on a traffic warrant out of Peoria.

An employee of the Stark County jail said Friday afternoon that Raices was being held for another county. It's not clear when he might be returned to Urbana on his felony case.