A home security camera in Sycamore recorded gunshots ringing out at 1:19 a.m. on a private property, and deputies now say the footage helped them build a case against a 28-year-old local man who claims he was only carrying an Airsoft gun. Samuel R. Colton has been charged with a Class 3 felony count of unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a charge that could carry significant prison time if he is convicted.
According to mystateline.com, the property owner alerted DeKalb County sheriff's deputies at 9:39 a.m. on Monday, September 15, reporting that multiple people had been trespassing on the Coltonville Road property around 1 a.m. and that shots had been fired sometime after that, while Shaw Local places that report on Tuesday. MyStateline reported that deputies were dispatched to the 1400 block of Coltonville Road around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, while Shaw Local reports that the property owner alerted authorities at 9:39 a.m. Tuesday.
Investigators reviewing trail and garage camera footage from the property found more than just the sound of gunfire. As Shaw Local reports, a trail camera captured two people walking on the private property between 1 and 2 a.m., with one of them holding what appeared to be a black handgun. The garage camera separately captured multiple shots being fired at 1:19 a.m., according to the same report.
Deputies Trace Footage Back to a Sycamore Residence
Court records cited by the Daily Chronicle allege that authorities were investigating a trespassing complaint on private property in Sycamore when the case led them to Colton. Deputies searched a Sycamore residence and found shoes, jeans, a backpack and a headlamp that, according to records, appeared to match items worn by a man seen in the trail camera footage. Colton was arrested at that residence.
Authorities allege in court records that Colton admitted to being on the property. He reportedly told deputies he was fishing on the private property that Tuesday morning and said he heard gunshots while he was there. Colton also told deputies that the gun seen in the footage was an Airsoft gun rather than a real firearm, and said he later took the Airsoft gun to a residence in Aurora, according to the same records.
Felony Charge Stems From Prior Record and Outstanding Warrant
Colton had an outstanding contempt-of-court warrant out of Kane County at the time of his arrest. Per the report from mystateline.com, he was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon as well as on that outstanding warrant, and he was booked into the DeKalb County Jail pending the outcome of a pretrial detention hearing.
The DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office petitioned to have Colton denied release from jail pending trial, and DeKalb County Circuit Court Associate Judge Jill Konen approved that petition, according to court records reported by the Daily Chronicle. Colton is set to appear in DeKalb County Circuit Court on October 1 at 1:30 p.m., with Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen presiding over the hearing.
What Comes Next in the Case
The Daily Chronicle's report states that Colton faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The article also includes links to 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1 and the Illinois General Assembly, but available reports do not provide further sentencing details or explain how Illinois law applies to the specific charge.
No further details on Colton's response to the charge, the identity of the second person seen in the trail camera footage, or the outcome of his pretrial detention hearing have been made public. The case remains pending ahead of the October 1 court date.
