They sped away from a traffic stop in Ottawa, abandoned the stolen car and were caught with drugs and a gun, after which a school was cordoned off. Now the last of the three suspects has pleaded guilty.

Shimund R. Jones of Chicago appeared in La Salle County District Court on Thursday and entered a blind plea to one count of illegal possession of a controlled substance (ecstasy). Because of his criminal history, this is a Class 4 felony that carries an extended prison sentence of one to six years.

Jones will have the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing on Thursday, November 7, at 1:00 p.m. before La Salle County District Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia.

Jones was charged on March 16, 2023, after he and two others drove off at a high rate of speed from a traffic stop in the 1300 block of La Salle Street in Ottawa. The vehicle was reported stolen from Schiller Park. The fleeing vehicle crashed into a car and the passengers fled on foot. Ottawa police officers arrested Jones and a subsequent search found ecstasy.

Charges have been filed against two other people. Kemar R. Mathews-Hill, 26, of Chicago pleaded guilty late last year to possession of a stolen motor vehicle (the weapons charge was dropped as part of his guilty plea) and was recently released on parole after serving part of his three-year sentence.

The third suspect was a then 17-year-old Chicago girl who was charged with drug possession and two other misdemeanors. Within weeks, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation, transferred to Cook County.