A staffing shortage in the Henry County Public Defender’s Office caused the Bench Trial for the Colona man charged with the death of his 14-month-old daughter to be pushed back to early May. Rahsaan Strawder opted for a Bench Trial at his October 2, 2023, pretrial hearing, and the Bench Trial was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024, at 9 AM. On November 28, 2023, Defense Attorney, Lance Camp, requested to push the trial back a couple of months because he is essentially the only Public Defender at the moment and can not be ready for trial on March 4th. Attorney Camp said he has reviewed all the discovery for the case but needs additional time to prepare for the murder trial. Henry County State’s Attorney, Cathy Runty, had no objection to moving the trial to April or May because she has a murder trial that was pushed back to January 2024. Judge Dalton allowed the continuance and said they schedule a new pretrial hearing if needed, otherwise, the Bench Trial will be scheduled for early May by Court Services. The dates for the five-day trial have not been scheduled at the time of this writing.
Rahsaan Strawder is charged with 2 counts of First Degree Murder (Class M Felony), 2 counts of Aggravated Battery to a child under 13 (Class X Felony) and Aggravated Battery (Amended to Class 3 Felony). Mr. Strawder is alleged to have battered a 14 month female child causing her death on January 27, 2022. Strawder is a registered sex offender after a conviction in Kane County for Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Child 13 to 16 years of age.
