Indiana man sentenced to 17 years for stalking ex-girlfriend after standoff, gunfire with Will County Sheriff’s Deputies

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(Click here to read the Victim Impact Statement of Michelle Fisher)

Richard Petrick

Richard Petrick

JOLIET –– Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced that an Indiana man who forced his way into his former girlfriend’s house last year and held Will County sheriff’s deputies at bay with a gun has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.


Richard Petrick, 49, pleaded guilty in April to aggravated assault, aggravated stalking and home invasion – a Class X felony. Will County Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak sentenced Petrick on Wednesday.


“The conviction and sentencing of this dangerous stalker is the culmination of intensive collaboration by Will County Sheriff’s deputies and the members of my Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “They immediately recognized the volatility of this situation and worked closely with the victim in real time to protect her from this seriously unstable individual.”


Glasgow’s Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit –– Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Meyers and Victim Witness Advocate Kathy Craven –– began working closely with Deputy Christopher Cavera shortly after Petrick began violating orders of protection the victim had obtained against him.


Deputy Cavera had been called to the victim’s residence in Frankfort Square on the evening of Feb. 12, 2010 in response to a report that the defendant was driving by her home. While he was taking that report, Deputy Cavera witnessed the defendant drive past the residence again.  He was unable to apprehend the defendant initially, but he continued to patrol the area during his shift.

Later that same night, Deputy Cavera  found the defendant parked outside the victim’s residence with a small arsenal in his vehicle. Inside Petrick’s car he found a pellet gun, a 10-inch hunting knife, a Winchester rifle, a .22 caliber semiautomatic rifle, a box of ammunition and a pair of binoculars. Petrick was in violation of an Order of Protection and charged with aggravated stalking for that incident.

On April 9, 2010, while on bond for Aggravated Stalking, his former girlfriend smelled cigarette smoke outside her residence and saw Petrick hiding in the bushes at about 6 a.m.


The woman ran into her house, locked her doors, dialed 911 and hit a panic button on her home alarm system when she saw Petrick. The defendant used a pellet gun to shoot through the sliding glass door, entered the residence and threatened to kill the woman.


The victim managed to run out the front door. Her adult daughter, who lived in the residence, jumped from a second-floor bedroom window onto a car parked in the driveway to escape.


Because of the close work between the Domestic Violence Unit and the Sheriff’s Department, deputies were on the scene within moments of the victim’s emergency call.


Sgt. Thomas Budde saw the defendant hiding behind a wall inside the home and ordered him to drop the weapon. Petrick refused, telling police they would have to shoot him. As Petrick pointed his weapon at deputies, Sgt. Budde fired, shooting him in the eye. The defendant survived to face felony charges.“Sgt. Budde displayed extraordinary bravery while responding to this incredibly explosive and dangerous situation,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “Every deputy involved in the investigation of this case and the members of my Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit deserve credit for saving the life of this woman from this dangerous reprobate.”