Woman jumps from window, man arrested

BOONE COUNTY – On Tuesday, April 12 at 1:45 p.m. the Boone County Dispatch Center received a 911 call regarding a woman alleging to have been held against her will in a Belvidere residence.

Upon arrival Belvidere Patrol Officers made contact with a 23-year-old female (Rockford residence) who jumped from a second story window from a residence in the 1700 Block of Maple Ave.  The woman was transported to Swedish American hospital in Belvidere for treatment of injuries she had sustained.

Police located Benjamin Kiddell, 29, of Belvidere, inside the residence the woman had jumped from but Kiddell refused to initially come out.  Patrol officers with the assistance of Boone County Sheriff’s Office secured the area and detectives made contact with Kiddell who ultimately surrendered without incident.

Kiddell was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for his arrest on an unrelated offense and transported to the Belvidere Police Department.

Detectives executed a search warrant on the residence and located controlled substance, cannabis, drug packaging materials, scale, and United States currency.

Police detectives reviewed the case with the Boone County State’s Attorney’s Office who have authorized charges against Kiddell for one count possession with intent to deliver one to 15 grams of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a senior citizen center, class x felony; one count possession to deliver cannabis 30 to 500 grams, class three felony; and obstruction of justice, class four felony.

Kiddell remains in the Boone County Jail on a $100,000 (10 percent) bond.

A class x felony is punishable by six to thirty 30 years, a class three felony is punishable by two to five years, and a class four felony is punishable by one to three years in the department of corrections.

Police detectives are conducting an on-going investigation pertaining to the circumstances leading up to the 23-year-old female jumping from the residence.  The exact relationship between the woman and Kiddell is undetermined at this time

The Belvidere Police Department would like to extend our appreciation to the residents of the neighborhood as well as Sheffield Meadows Senior Citizen Center for their patience and cooperation while the Belvidere Police Department handled this incident.

The Belvidere Police Department encourages anyone having information on a crime, suspicious activity or narcotic trafficking to call the Belvidere Police Department at (815) 544-2135 or Crime Stoppers at (815) 547-7867.

Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the State’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.