Felon charged with attempted murder in Woodstock for shooting at stranger's car, authorities say – Shaw Local

A Woodstock man was charged Tuesday with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly committing the crime in two separate incidents while on probation and in custody.

Authorities allege that 39-year-old Jason Spitzer fired a handgun four times at another man who was driving a vehicle in a residential area around midnight Monday. Spitzer is also charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm toward another person or occupied vehicle and unlawful use or possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, according to the criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

In addition to the Class X felony charge, which could carry up to 30 years in prison if convicted, Spitzer and Lauren Sounde, 39, both of the 600 block of McHenry Avenue, are charged with similar drug offenses. Spitzer and Sounde are both charged with delivering or possessing 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, which are Class X felonies, while Sounde is also charged with manufacturing or delivering psilocybin mushrooms, according to court records and prosecutors.

Both appeared for an initial court hearing before separate judges on Wednesday and were ordered remanded in custody at the McHenry County Jail.

Assistant District Attorney Steven Gregorowicz argued before Judge Michael Zasadil that Spitzer posed a threat to the person he allegedly shot, whom he did not know, as well as to the community. Gregorowicz said Spitzer was seen on surveillance video firing a handgun at the vehicle as it drove away in the 600 block of Park Street in Woodstock. Two of the shots struck the vehicle, four shell casings were recovered at the scene, and Spitzer admitted to police that he shot at the vehicle, Gregorowicz said.

A search of Spitzer and Sounde's shared apartment turned up 40 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale and “a large amount of packaging material for the drug, including several clear plastic bags, some of which already contained methamphetamine,” according to the complaint and Gregorowicz.

Police also found batteries used to make methamphetamine, as well as a black and blue Taurus G3 pistol, magazines and ammunition, Gregorowicz said. The gun belonged to Sounde legally, but she gave it to Spitzer, a felon, the prosecutor said.

In Sounde's purse, police found “a clear plastic bag containing two plastic bags, each containing psilocybin mushrooms with a total weight of approximately 22 grams,” Gregorowicz's complaint states.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for the couple's release, saying that just because drugs were allegedly found in the apartment doesn't mean they were trying to sell the drugs. The state has presented “no evidence of any deals or attempts” to sell drugs, Giesinger said. Spitzer has a drug problem, the public defender said, and if he is released from prison and placed under house arrest, he could receive treatment. But Gregorowicz countered that drug users can also be dealers.

Giesinger said the incident began when Spitzer confronted the man banging on a door. It is unclear whose door it was. He also said he believes there are more facts in this case than were presented during the hearing. He said there is no evidence that Sounde “gave” Spitzer the gun.

At the time of the alleged shooting, Spitzer was serving a suspended sentence for a 2023 conviction for possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamine, according to court records. That conviction makes it illegal for him to possess a firearm. He was also on pretrial release for a new case filed in June. In that case, he was charged with illegal possession of five grams of methamphetamine, illegal possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license, according to the indictment. Gregorowicz said given Spitzer's criminal history, he could not be expected to meet any conditions of release.

Gregorowicz also said police found what they believe were strips of LSD. Although they did not test positive for LSD, they are being investigated by Illinois State Police, he said.

In ordering Spitzer's detention, Zasadil agreed with the prosecutor that he posed a danger and that his criminal past had shown that “nothing could diminish” his dangerousness.

Judge Carl Metz, who presided over Sounde's hearing, arrested her, saying she was a threat and “the court has seen how deadly meth is, it has seen drug-induced homicides as a result of meth.” The amount of drugs found in the apartment was “far beyond personal use,” Metz said.