A Villa Park man with a long history of mental health issues who pleaded guilty to randomly stabbing three people over the last year, including an Illinois Prairie Path runner, was ordered Tuesday to serve 30 months of specialized probation and treatment.
Robert Gorecki, 49, of the 400 block of South Wisconsin Avenue was arrested in March after he cut the cheek of a York High School cross-county team member who was running March 5 on the Prairie Path with a teammate.
Gorecki was to be released Tuesday from the DuPage County Jail after serving 6 months.
Villa Park police charged him with a total of four random attacks, for which he pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated battery earlier this year.
Assistant State’s Atty. Ann Celine O’Hallaren told Judge Kathryn Creswell that the victims were told of the proposed plea agreement and that prosecutors believe “treatment of the defendant is more appropriate” than a prison term of up to 5 yearsO’Hallaren said that Gorecki has had mental health issues since 1986.
Defense attorney John Vetter agreed that his client had significant mental issues and that treatment was a better option than a prison sentence.
Creswell ordered Gorecki to participate in the Special Needs Advocacy Program and all therapy classes, to follow treatment ordered by the County Health Department and to continue to take all ordered medication. He is not allowed to have any contact with the victims, who suffered non-life-threatening cuts, O’Hallaren said.
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