Charges on File in Mason County For IL-97 Road Rage Shooting

By Benjamin Cox on February 9, 2023 at 8:06pm

The identity of the man who allegedly shot a motorist from a U-Haul truck in Mason County has been revealed.

The State Journal Register reports that 34 year old Nicholas A. Santos of El Paso, Texas was the driver of a U-Haul box truck who shot an unnamed motorist while traveling southbound on Illinois Route 97 out of Kilbourne in Mason County. The victim continued driving after being shot and then, turned around towards Mason County. The male victim was later taken to a Springfield hospital. Their status remains unknown.

Officers from the Illinois Conservation Police, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, and Mason County Sheriff’s Office eventually took Santos into custody just south of Schirding Avenue about 2.5 miles north of Petersburg after a brief pursuit.

Santos remains held at the Mason County Jail in Havana. He made his first appearance in Mason County court today in front of Judge Roger Thomson, but the charges filed against him in Mason County have not been listed in the public purview at this time. No charges have been filed yet in Menard County as of press time, according to online court records. Santos is next due in Mason County Court on February 23rd for a preliminary hearing.