Shorewood Man Whose Illegal Fireworks Injured 2 Learns Sentence

SHOREWOOD, IL — Jeff Slattery, a 52-year-old Shorewood man whose illegal fireworks display on July 4, 2020, left two people injured, was recently sentenced to six months of court supervision as a result of a plea bargain with the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow.

Under the agreement, prosecutors dropped Slattery's two charges of reckless conduct. He pleaded guilty to his remaining two charges of unlawful possession or sale of fireworks.

Besides being given six months of court supervision, Slattery was fined a total of $1,200 by Will County's judiciary. Slattery must also perform 50 hours of community service at a rate of 10 hours per month, court records show.

Slattery was represented by Joliet criminal defense attorney Marzell Richardson, who works at the Mitchell Legal Solutions.

According to the Will County criminal complaint, Slattery used consumer fireworks including Freedom Fighter 9 shot-motor tubes and Flicker motor tubes on July 4, 2020, in Shorewood.

The state of Illinois bans the sale, possession, and use of all consumer fireworks.

Slattery's actions, according to Shorewood police, caused bodily injuries to a man and a woman "in that he set off fireworks in close proximity" to both of the victims.

The Troy Fire Protection District transported two of the victims to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center. During a 2020 interview, Shorewood police officials told Patch that one of the victims could require significant aftercare for the burns from the exploded projectile.