ELGIN, IL — A 30-year-old Bartlett man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for harassing — and then stabbing — a Black man at a bar in Elgin in 2022. He also slashed the bar’s owner.
Jason Ostrego, of the 600 block of White Oak Lane, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and armed violence during a hearing in Kane County Circuit Court in May. Kane County Judge David Kliment ordered the 19-year prison sentence during a Friday hearing, prosecutors told Patch.
The charges stem from a Jan. 31, 2022, incident at Hoppe’s Corner, 1075 N. Liberty Street in Elgin, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
On that date, Ostrego got kicked out of the bar after using “racially charged language” while complaining about the music playing on the jukebox, prosecutors said.
The bar’s manager escorted Ostrego to the parking lot where his mother was waiting to drive him home. He refused to leave and began arguing with a Black man, “directed racial epithets” at him, and challenged him to fight, according to a news release.
His mother tried to hold him back, but Ostrego broke free, got out a knife and stabbed the man in his chest. The bar manager hit Ostrego in the face, trying to stop the attack, and Ostrego slashed his face and hand, according to the news release.
The man suffered a stab wound to the right ventricle of his heart and underwent open heart surgery to repair his heart, according to the news release. The bar manager received 15 stitches on his face and five stitches on his hand.
His nose is now disfigured because of the attack, prosecutors said.
Ostrego must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for release.
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