Elderly Peru man is on the mend while his accused attacker makes initial court appearance

The alleged attacker of a 70-year-old man in downtown Peru is due in court Thursday for a bond hearing.

Thirty-four-year-old Roberto Medina of Grand Rapids, Michigan is in the La Salle County Jail on charges of felony aggravated battery, unlawful use of a weapon and obstructing justice. He’s accused of attacking A 70-year-old man trying to go into John’s Place along Peoria Street in Peru Wednesday morning. The victim suffered cuts and scrapes but avoided serious injuries.

Medina allegedly hit the elderly man using gloves with metal inserts in them. Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei thinks robbery could’ve been the motive as they think Medina earlier in the morning could’ve broken into an unlocked car looking for money.

Medina is a suspect in an armed robbery in Michigan and according to Bernabei has prior convictions of larceny and drug possession. He’s not quite sure what brought Medina to the Illinois Valley but he doesn’t think he was here long before the attack.

Chester Weger is again denied parole

The state’s longest serving inmate will do at least another year in prison.

Seventy-six-year-old Chester Weger of Oglesby was denied parole Thursday for the 20th time. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 9 to 4 in favor of keeping him behind bars for killing a suburban Chicago woman at Starved Rock State Park in 1960. Two other women were also killed but Weger was only charged in one death. The crime has become known as the “Starved Rock Murders”.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne was at the hearing and spoke of how it would send the wrong message to the community about guilt or innocence if they let Weger go free. Towne thinks many of the board members were swayed by Weger’s juvenile record in feeling its best he stayed in prison.

Relatives of Weger were at Thursday’s hearing. While they testified earlier in the process, relatives of the victims chose not to attend the final vote.