Judge releases Minooka man charged in I-55 assault

Aurélius Lennon-Rios, a 26-year-old resident of Minooka, has regained his freedom following a weekend detention in Will County Jail. Associate Judge Joan Meyers released Lennon-Rios on Sunday, October 25, after rejecting the state’s petition to keep him in custody under the SAFE-T Act. The charges stem from an alleged incident on Interstate 55 on Saturday, October 24, where prosecutors said Lennon-Rios used a metal chain to break a truck window and strike his girlfriend in the face and shoulder.

The victim was hospitalized after the incident. Court files indicate she sustained a bloody nose, a contusion on her shoulder, a bump on her leg, and bruises on her arm. She also lost her glasses during the encounter, and Lennon-Rios kept her phone. Illinois State Police arrested Lennon-Rios because the incident occurred along the interstate near Arsenal Road. The couple had been driving from Wilmington, where they spent the night, back to Minooka.

Prosecutors detailed the sequence of events in their filing. They stated that the victim was concerned about Lennon-Rios’s driving and noticed a flat tire. She attempted to exit the pickup truck to leave. Lennon-Rios reportedly threw her back into the vehicle. The woman then locked the doors, which left Lennon-Rios outside the truck. According to the state, he retrieved a metal chain from the bed of his pickup, swung it into the cabin, and broke the window while striking the victim.

As the victim called her mother for assistance, Lennon-Rios reached into the truck, opened his door, and pulled her out, prosecutors told the court. By the time troopers arrived, the victim was bleeding from her face and nose. She told officers that her boyfriend had attacked her. Lennon-Rios is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 260 pounds. The state noted that he uses steroids and has an order of protection from Indiana involving a different person, dated October 28, 2025.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Lennon-Rios with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of domestic battery. They asked Judge Meyers to deny pretrial release, arguing that the standard for dangerousness was met. Meyers, who previously served as legal counsel for the Village of Plainfield for 18 years, ruled in favor of Lennon-Rios. She ordered that he have no further contact with the victim and placed him under electronic monitoring. The victim has stated that she is moving out of the Minooka residence where she was staying with Lennon-Rios.

Lennon-Rios was booked into the Will County Jail at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. He was released at 1:21 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. He resides in the 300 block of Prairie Ridge Drive with his parents. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for November 16 in Courtroom 405 of the Will County Courthouse.