Man gets 9 years for attacking man on Aurora porch

Strickland was sentenced for a battery he committed July 24, 2018. | Sun-Times file photo

A man from west suburban Aurora was sentenced to almost a decade in prison for punching a man in the face and leaving him with significant facial injuries.

Sweed A. Strickland, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery Thursday in exchange for a 9-year sentence, the Kane County state’s attorney’s office said.

Sweed A. Strickland

On July 24, 2018, during evening hours, Strickland was chasing his girlfriend along New York Street when he encountered two bystanders, prosecutors said. He approached one of the bystanders, who was more than 60 years old, and punched him in the face multiple times.

The attack left the bystander with a fractured nose and a severed artery in his eye, prosecutors said.

Strickland must serve at least 85% of his sentence and will receive credit for the 387 days he was held at the Kane County Jail, the state’s attorney’s office said.

He was eligible for enhanced sentencing because of previous convictions, including aggravated battery with a firearm in 1999 and aggravated battery of a peace officer in 2016.

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