Aurora Siblings Sentenced To 120 Days For Beating, Strangling Police Officer

Judge D.J. Tegeler sentenced Jennifer Taylor and Sheba Taylor, both of Aurora, to 120 days of imprisonment in the Kane County jail, 200 hours of community service, and 4 years of probation for their attack on an Aurora police officer in June 2021, according to a press release issued by the office of Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser.

The sisters were convicted in January of the following crimes by Judge Alice Tracy after a bench trial:

Sheba A. Taylor, 29, was found guilty by a jury of the following offenses:

• Aggravated Battery to a Police Officer, Class 2 felony (2 counts)
• Aggravated Battery on a Public Way Causing Bodily Harm, Class 3 felony
• Resisting a Peace Officer Causing Injury, Class 4 felony

Jennifer M. Taylor, 26, was found guilty by a jury of the following offenses:

• Aggravated Battery to a Police Officer, Class 2 felony (2 counts)
• Aggravated Battery on a Public Way, Class 3 felony (2 counts)
• Aggravated Assault of a Police Officer, Class 4 felony

Just after 10:30 p.m. on June 21, 2021, an Aurora Police officer performed a traffic stop on a car that rolled through a stop sign near the intersection of Plum Street and Randall Road. The vehicle pulled into a driveway in the 600 block of North Elmwood Drive, and the driver, Paul Taylor, began yelling obscenities out the window. The officer also observed two other passengers, Sheba and Jennifer Taylor, in the vehicle.

Moments later, Sheba Taylor exited the vehicle. The officer ordered her back into the car several times before informing her that she was under arrest for obstruction. Paul Taylor then also exited the vehicle, continuing to yell obscenities, and started approaching the officer at the rear of the car. He told the officer that he would fight him if he touched the sister.

The officer informed Paul Taylor that he was also under arrest for obstruction. At that moment, Paul Taylor took off running, with the officer in pursuit. The two sisters also followed the officer yelling obscenities. When Sheba Taylor approached the officer as they ran, the officer turned around and grabbed her arm to take her into custody, but she slipped out of his grip.

The two sisters then began striking the officer with closed fists and kicking his body and head. The officer heard a male’s voice and then was struck repeatedly in the head from several angles. Sheba Taylor placed her forearm around the officer’s neck and applied significant force to his windpipe, causing him to lose the ability to breathe. A short time later, additional officers arrived and placed the subjects into custody.

Aurora Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and transported the officer to an area hospital.

“Judge Tegeler aptly recognized that what should have been a routine traffic case tragically escalated into an assault on a law enforcement officer due to the choices made by these defendants, Mosser said in the release. “It is fitting that they face the consequences of their actions with incarceration. This verdict reinforces the importance of respecting lawful orders and the consequences of endangering the lives of those who serve and protect.”