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Recent Blog Posts
West Side Man Charged with Felony Theft
According to the Chicago Tribune, law enforcement officials executing a search warrant for guns ina West Side home found over $100,000 of stolen electronics and other goods, including computersoftware, bicycles, DJ equipment, construction equipment, and musical instruments. Police also founda handgun, three shotguns, and three rifles in the residence. As a result, 50-year-old homeowner Willie Sutton wasarrested and charged with several counts of unlawful usage of a weapon and possession of firearms,failing to register firearms, failure to have a valid FOID card, and felony theft. The investigation wascoordinated by the Chicago Police Department’s Narcotics Division, bureau of organized crime, andtactical officers
Police are currently displaying the stolen goods at the Chicago Police Department’s Austin Districtstation and using the media in an attempt to have the public identify the owners of the obviously stolengoods. Alleged victims of the thefts are encouraged to contact the Chicago Police Department in orderto view the stolen items.
Volunteer Treasurer Receives Three Years in Prison for Stealing From Elmhurst Church
DuPage County Judge Kathryn Creswell sentenced 54-year-old Robert Drefs to three years in prison for stealing $54,000 in funds from Messiah Lutheran Church, a small Elmhurst church, while serving as a volunteer treasurer. Drefs committed the thefts between 2008 and 2010, and forged signatures on various checks that he wrote to a now-defunct business at which he used to be employed. As a result of the thefts, the pastor and his family lost medical insurance coverage, other employees’ wages went unpaid, and other church bills fell behind. Meanwhile, Drefs continued to plead with congregation members for more money to pay the church’s operating expenses.
Drefs pled guilty to felony theft charges in a plea agreement deal that capped his potential sentence to three and one-half years. Judge Creswell gave Drefs near the maximum sentence, stating that she believed that Drefs had acted purposely to cover up his thefts.
DuPage County Judge Sentences Man to Six Years for Fatal DUI Crash
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that a DuPage County Judge recently sentenced 40-year-old Jeffrey Fisher to six years in prison for the 2011 drunk driving accident that killed his girlfriend, 30-year-old Eva Meyers of Carol Stream. With a .15 blood-alcohol level at 3:00 a.m. on July 3, 2011, Fisher drove his pickup truck through the warning gates at an Itasca railroad crossing, where he struck a freight train traveling at about 40 miles per hour. In addition to his intoxication, Fisher was driving on a suspended license at the time of the accident. While Fisher could have received a maximum 10-year prison sentence on an aggravated DUI charge, he pled guilty to the charge and received only six years.
The consequences of driving while intoxicated can be extremely serious for all parties involved. Not only can you face severe criminal penalties for illegal behavior, but you risk your life, the life of any passengers, and the lives of other drivers and pedestrians.
Like Jeffrey Fisher, though, we are human and we all make mistakes. If you are charged with DUI or a related crime, you should immediately contact an experienced Rolling Meadows DUI defense attorney for help with your case. Your lawyer may be able to uncover a legitimate defense on your behalf, or find errors in police work that can result in the lessening of the charges against you, or even dismissal of the DUI charges altogether. Call our office today for a thorough evaluation of your case, and see what we can do for you.
Chicago Police Arrest 12 in Satan Disciple Gang Investigation
According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, law enforcement officials have charged 12 people with various firearm and drug charges following a three-year investigation in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. The joint investigation by the FBI and Chicago Police, called “Operation Devil’s Playground,” was focused on drug and gun trafficking in the Satan Disciple gang. The drugs involved reportedly were cocaine and methamphetamine. During the arrests, police recovered 11 guns and over $15,000 in cash.
Federal authorities named five of the 12 people arrested in federal criminal complaints, as well as a sixth man who is still at large. Two of the defendants face prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life, two more face 10-year sentences, and another defendant faces a 20-year sentence. The other people arrested were charged with state criminal law violations.
Illinois Teen Faces Burglary Charges
According to a story on ChicagoTribune.com, Brandon M. Hurley, a 19-year-old Gurnee man, was arrested on April 22 and charged with two felony counts of burglary after having been found with stolen electronics in his vehicle.
According to the story, the burglaries took place on April 20 in the Estates of Churchill Hunt Subdivision. Police received a call around 9pm and responded to investigate claims of a suspicious looking person wearing a black ski mask and black gloves. By the time the police arrived, the man was no longer loitering near the open garage where he was spotted.
While in the Churchill Hunt subdivision, police stopped Hurley and found numerous stolen electronics in his vehicle, and he was arrested. They are continuing the investigation. Hurley was released on Sunday after his first court appearance; his bond was set at $30,000. Arraignment will take place in May.
A knowledgeable criminal attorney can help those who are facing criminal charges to avoid the harshest penalties, or even have the criminal charges dropped. Whether a person is guilty or not, facing criminal charges can be scary and unexpected; an experienced attorney be there to guide the accused through the legal system to a personalized and positive outcome.
Illinois Mother Charged with Two Felony Counts
An Eligin mother has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and of aggravated battery in a public way. Anita R. Joost, 46, is facing two felony counts for an incident involving her 16-year-old daughter and another 15-year-old girl.
According to a report in the Daily Herald, police say Joost’s daughter told her the other girl, who Joost’s daughter had problems with, wanted to meet her at Shadow Hill Park to talk and try to resolve their issues. The daughter told her mother she wanted to physically fight the other girl. The mother agreed and drove her to the park.
The police claim that once they arrived at the park, the girls began talking but Joost told her daughter to “Kick her (butt).” At that point, the daughter tried getting the other girl to fight by calling her names and intimidating her.
When the 15-year-old refused to fight, Joost used her cell phone to record and take photos of the confrontation. She then instructed one of her daughter’s friends, who was watching the incident, to tell her daughter to either hit the girl or leave. The two girls struggled, with the daughter pushing the other girl, punching and pulling her hair. When the teens separated, Joost threatened the 15-year-old.
Embezzlement in Illinois
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Naperville Public Library’s board president has resigned amid embezzlement allegations. Napervillle police say that a warrant for 63-year-old Jerry Feldott’s arrest on theft charges was issued, and that Feldott turned himself in at the DuPage County Jail on April 19th.
Feldott is accused of embezzling $25,900 from the North Edgewood Homeowners Association, between 2007 and 2012. His arrest came following a two-month police investigation instigated when the association’s president and vice-president reported the missing funds.
John Spears, the director of the Naperville Public Library, says that Feldott resigned from his board position via e-mail. Feldott is the owner of and a broker at Feldott & Associates, Ltd., a Naperville real estate firm.
Another recent news story tells of Dixon, Illinois, where the town’s comptroller was recently charged with embezzling nearly $30 million from the town, which had an annual budget of $8 million, to fund her horse training business.
Naperville Police Arrest 10 On Drug Charges
According to the CBS Chicago, on April 11, 2012, over thirty police officers swarmed several apartment complexes in the Naperville, Illinois area and arrested ten individuals for narcotic-related charges. The apartment buildings are in the Jefferson Avenue, Testa Drive, and Encina Drive area.
Apparently, the Naperville police were responding to a dramatic increase in telephone calls to the department alleging safety concerns. Sergeant Gregory Bell has stated the telephones pertained to suspected drug activity to trespassing. As a result of these calls, the police initiated Operation Clean Sweep to put a stop the so-called disturbances.
The Operation began when the police bombarded the area, with nineteen police vehicles, at approximately 1:00 pm. The police continued the Operation for nearly ten hours, and left the area at about 11:00 pm.
The police stopped more than twenty vehicles, freely handing out warnings, tickets, and even arresting a few residents. Further, the police conducted a search warrant at an apartment occupied Tyrone Townsend, on Testa Drive where they uncovered a sophisticated pot-growing operation with 46 marijuana plants. Mr. Townsend was charged for producing or possessing more than 20 but not more than 50 marijuana plants, possession of more than 30 but not more than 500 grams of marijuana, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering the health or life of a child because 3 children with special needs were inside the apartment during the raid.
U.S. Authorities Locate Suspect in Fatal Illinois DUI Case in South Korea
In 1996, Kyung Ho Song was charged with DUI and reckless homicide after he drunkenly plowed into a broken-down station wagon on Lake Street in Bartlett, instantly killing Ecuadoran immigrant Sonia Naranjo. Song told a Cook County court that he was was a shoe store manager making $12,000 annually, and was released after posting a $2,500 bail bond deposit. In reality, Song owned a strip mall, a large home in Schaumburg, and additional commercial property valued at over $1 million. Less than two years after the incident, Song had liquidated all of his assets, withdrawn his guilty plea to the criminal charges, and fled the U.S. for his native South Korea.
Some 15 years later, the Chicago Tribune reporters contacted Cook County authorities about the case that had lain dormant for years. The police resumed their search for Song, and in December, 2011, located him living in Seoul, South Korea. Although law enforcement officials state that they intend to pursue the case, they have not yet taken any action to contact South Korea about extraditing Song. It is unclear at this point whether any extradition efforts would be successful.
Chicago Teens Arrested for Disorderly Conduct
According to a recent Chicago Tribune story, two teenagers showed up to a fight with another teen and his father in Downers Grove with bats. Due to an ongoing feud between two former friends over the past year, one teen challenged the other to a fight. The other teen and his friend came to the fight brandishing baseball bats, which they held up to the teen and his father as if they were going to hit them. When the pair heard police sirens approaching, they put down their bats, and did not actually strike any blows. Police arrested the teens for disorderly conduct and confiscated their bats. The teens later were released to the custody of their parents.
Although disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor charge under Illinois law, it still will become a part of your permanent criminal record if you are convicted. As a result, you will be required to report this criminal conviction on employment applications and disclose your conviction in other situations for the rest of your life. Additionally, a disorderly conduct conviction can carry a sentence of up to 30 days in jail and payment of a fine of up to $1,500.00. Therefore, the penalties for a disorderly conduct conviction can be quite severe.
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