Rock Falls man faces manslaughter charges – arrest warrant requested – Shaw Local

MORRISON – More than two years after being charged with aggravated assault, the case of a Rock Falls man accused of beating a neighbor so badly he died nearly three weeks later remains in limbo.

The trial of Scott E. Hagerman, 62, was scheduled to begin March 19 but was postponed just minutes before jury selection was to begin when Hagerman dismissed his assigned attorney, Whiteside County Public Defender James Fagerman, and asked Judge Trish Senneff for an adjournment so he could be represented.

Despite the prosecution's objection, Senneff granted the adjournment and set an April 15 appearance date for an attorney and a July 24 preliminary hearing. Hagerman failed to appear in court on April 15, and an arrest warrant was issued the next day. He is still wanted on the warrant after failing to appear for the July 24 hearing.

Hagerman is accused of punching Ronald E. Fistler Jr., 61, causing a brain injury on August 6, 2022. Fistler died on August 25, 2022, at Amberwood Care Center in Rockford.

Hagerman is charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily harm to a person 60 years of age or older, which carries a prison sentence of three to seven years, as well as aggravated assault causing serious bodily harm and aggravated assault in a public place, each of which carries a prison sentence of two to five years.

He is also charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, for refusing to cooperate with a Rock Falls police officer during his arrest, according to the indictment.

At the time, the two men lived in the Whiteside County Housing Authority's Garden Homes complex in the 400 block of Garden Circle, which has 40 units for low-income elderly or disabled renters.

According to a press release at the time, police received a 911 call reporting an assault at around 2:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found Fistler lying injured on the ground.

He was taken to CGH Medical Center in Sterling and later, “due to the severity of his injuries,” to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, the release said. He was then transferred to Amberwood. According to his obituary, Fistler was a U.S. Navy veteran and a member of the Rock Falls American Legion.

Hagerman was released on December 5, 2022, after posting $2,500 of his $25,000 bail, which was reduced from $40,000.

According to court records, Hagerman has no prior convictions in Whiteside and Lee counties.

No further court dates have been set in this case.