Exactly one year since he assaulted a woman in a Geneva bar, David Hietschold of Morris has been sentenced in absentia to 3½ years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
A Kane County jury had convicted the 43-year-old Hietschold of the offense of aggravated battery, Class 3 felony, two counts, on October 4, 2022.
On February 2, 2021, at about 9 p.m., Hietschold was at Third Street Station, a bar in the 300 block of Crescent Place, Geneva. Unprovoked, he approached the victim from behind and blindsided her with a closed-fist punch to the head that knocked her unconscious. Hietschold and the victim had not previously met, nor seen each other before the incident. The victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
The trial and sentencing hearing took place despite Hietschold’s absence. He was last seen in court on July 22, 2022. Judge Kliment issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear for his trial.
“A prison sentence is what Hietschold deserves,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Norkus, “especially given his cowardly refusal to face his victim in court and accept responsibility for his actions.”
Anyone with information about Hietschold or his whereabouts should contact the Geneva Police Department at (630) 232-4736.
