Window-peeping trial opened this morning

The trial in a June 2009 window-peeping case opened this morning in Judge Weech's courtroom. Last June 7 (2009) Marco Villegas was arrested by Woodstock Police, after a man spotted him looking through the window of his neighbor's home after 11:00PM.

The man testified that he had been walking downstairs inside his home, when he looked through a window and saw a person outside the window of his neighbor's home. He went back upstairs, awakened his fiancee and told her to call the police, and then he dressed and went back down the stairs. When he observed the person still there, he went outside, approached the man and physically restrained him from leaving.

Woodstock Police arrived and took Villegas into custody.

The McHenry County State's Attorney's office is prosecuting the case, and former State's Attorney employee Donna Kelly, now in private practice, is defending Villegas.

In her opening statement Kelly told the 12 jurors (and one alternate) that they should listen closely to the evidence and then apply it to the law, which the judge would explain to them before they began deliberating.

The two neighbors and the resident were called to testify by the State's Attorney's representatives, and one Woodstock police officer, Sgt. Charles Amati, was called. Sgt. Amati testified about his arrival and finding Villegas on the ground, being held. He arrested and handcuffed him, and that was his total testimony.

No defense was presented, so the jury will get the case after lunch. The jury will be instructed by Judge Weech and then head off to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. The jury was informed that that the defendant might or might not testify, and any choice not to testify should not infer guilt.

Due to a schedule conflict, I'll not be able to attend court this afternoon.