Fairbury Man Accepts Probation for Obstruction Charge

A Fairbury man accused of assault was sentenced to probation after reaching a plea agreement, although he made his reluctance to accept probation known to the court. Kenneth D. Brown, age 48, of Fairbury, appeared in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge. Brown was originally charged with third degree domestic assault and obstructing a peace officer, both class 1 misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. On July 16, 2023, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a residence in Fairbury, responding to a call about a “physical fight.” According to the Warrantless Arrest Affidavit, “Deputies attempted to contact Kenneth in the garage for several minutes without him answering, verbal warnings were actually given that if he did not open the door pursuant to the investigation that we would break it in. In order to contact Kenneth, the door was kicked in.” The affidavit also notes that the defendant was interviewed, “While still on scene with Kenneth he made statements to me about ‘hiring professionals to get the job done’ and then moments later told me that we were going to be ‘picking up a corpse in a couple hours.’” Brown was arrested at the scene. In accordance with the plea agreement, the assault charge would be dismissed if Brown pleaded guilty to obstruction. Brown's attorney, Dillon J. O'Doherty, asked for a fine. The judge said a fine was not appropriate.Judge Bauer had ordered a PSI (Pre-Sentencing Investigation) prior to sentencing. Upon review of the PSI, she said she got the impression Brown was not interested in probation. The alternative was a jail sentence.“I’m not opposed to the probation,” Brown said. “I just feel it is a waste of my time.” “I have some concerns,” said the judge. Nevertheless, sentenced Brown to 12 months of probation. When asked if he had any questions about the requirements of probation, Brown said, “Not my first rodeo.”

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