Cell phone evidence being sought in case of man who allegedly rammed his wife’s car

QUINCY —  A hearing was set to argue new motions filed by the state’s attorney’s office in the case of Carl Douglas II, the Quincy man charged with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly ramming his Tesla several times into a vehicle driven by his estranged wife.

The motions to compel production of Douglas’s cell phone passcode and to extend the deadline to submit evidence into discovery were filed by First Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Eyler and Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Keck on Monday.

Additionally, Public Defender Mark Taylor was listed at Douglas’s co-council; Chief Public Defender Jonathan Hoover remains the lead attorney on the case. 

The defense initially requested that motions be argued on separate days, or, at the very least, at separate times.

“Doesn’t seem like a very good use of court resources to schedule motions in the same case at different times,” said Associate Circuit Court Judge Holly Henze.

Taylor said it “wasn’t a hill (he) was willing to die on,” though, and the motions were set to be argued early next week on Oct. 15.

Douglas allegedly rammed his Tesla several times into a vehicle driven by his estranged wife, Katherine Douglas, on July 14. He was charged on July 22 with aggravated assault and granted pretrial release. 

However, further investigation into the July 14 incident discovered additional information leading to the new charge for Douglas. Evidence in the police reports obtained from the Tesla showed Douglas struck his wife’s vehicle while it was going 88 miles per hour, the accelerator was pressed at 100 percent and he did not brake.

Douglas was taken into custody at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Patrol when he disembarked a plane on Aug. 28 after returning from a trip to another country. He has been in the Adams County Jail since Circuit Court Judge Christopher Pratt denied pretrial release during a Sept. 13 hearing.

Douglas, 48, pled not guilty to three charges during his arraignment last month:

• Attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony punishable for between six and 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. If found guilty by a jury, Douglas II would have to serve 85 percent of his sentence.
• Aggravated attempted domestic battery, a Class 3 felony punishable for between two and five years in prison. If found guilty by a jury, Douglas II would have to serve 50 percent of his sentence.
• Aggravated assault, a Class 4 felony punishable for between one and three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. If found guilty by a jury, Douglas II would have to serve 50 percent of his sentence.