Man Breaks Court Officer's Nose After Being Sentenced To Prison

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Lake County man broke the nose of a court officer as he was being taken into custody Wednesday at a sentencing hearing, authorities said.

Maseo B. Rosser, 22, of Winthrop Harbor, had just been sentenced to more than seven years in state prison in connection with a June 2020 incident in Gurnee.

Rosser pleaded guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm in October 2022, and prosecutors dropped an additional charge of burglary ahead of this week's sentencing hearing, records show.

As an officer began to take him into custody, Rosser punched him in the face and headbutted him, leaving him with a broken nose, the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced.

“Instead of accepting accountability for his past actions, this individual made the poor choice to attack our staff, which is nothing short of cowardly," Sheriff John Idleburg said in a statement.

"I, along with all of our staff, are wishing our court officer a speedy recovery, and we look forward to having him back at work soon," Idleburg said.

Two deputies and another court security officer were "eventually able to subdue Rosser, although he continued to resist arrests for several minutes," and no one else was injured, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson.

Rosser also threatened an officer from the Gurnee Police Department who had testified at his sentencing hearing before Lake County Associate Judge George Strickland, the spokesperson said.

Prosecutors approved three new felony charges over the attack — aggravated battery to a peace officer, resisting a peace officer causing injury and aggravated assault.

The events that led to Rosser's arrest for the Gurnee shooting were captured on doorbell video, according to Gurnee police.

Rosser, then 19, and 18-year-old Ian Matus were burglarizing unlocked cars in the early morning hours of June 25, 2020, when they were confronted by a homeowner on Ralph Avenue.

As the pair ran away, they fired two shots toward the resident, which struck the outside of their home, Gurnee police said.

Police said he was initially charged with burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, in addition to the aggravated discharge of a firearm charge to which he pleaded guilty.

Court records indicate Rosser was previously charged with residential burglary and theft in connection with a February 2020 incident in Waukegan.

He pleaded guilty to reduced charges in April 2020 in exchange for two years probation with special conditions, 100 hours of public service and 110 days in county jail.

Matus, who was Rosser's co-offender in the June 2020 Gurnee case, pleaded guilty earlier this month to a November 2021 Waukegan armed robbery attempt in exchange for a 12 year state prison sentence, with 400 days credit for time spent behind bars awaiting trial, records show.

Following a bond hearing Friday, Rosser was ordered held on a new, $250,000-D bond over the courtroom attack.

Even if he posted the $25,000 cash portion of that, he would still remain behind bars on the earlier prison sentence.