April 2011 Archives

Joliet police arrested a 13-year-old and 12-year-old boy after the pair attacked a 5-year-old and 6-year-old child in a parking lot located close to Gardner Street and Doris Avenue. Authorities said several witnesses had seen the older kids hit the victims to the ground, kicking them before went into their pockets and stole $5.

The younger children did not need much medical attention after the mugging, reported the Chicago Sun-Times. However, some Chicago locals may have heard that Joliet police immediately arrested the two juvenile boys and charged each with robbery.

A rather unusual robbery recently occurred at a beauty supply store in Chicago’s Near West Side, where no money was reported stolen. Instead, ABC 7 Chicago reported a surveillance camera caught the thieves breaking in and stealing human hair from Beauty One on West Roosevelt Road.

“They didn’t touch the cash register … They didn’t go back there at all,” said Lyndsy Jones. “They just came and took the hair and the general merchandise, the Perfecta Products they took.”

Former Chicago police officer Donald Owsley, 63, was convicted of trying to swindle a 90-year-old man out of his $500,000 home and embezzle $400,000 from the victim's investments and bank accounts. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Cook County Judge Timothy J. Joyce found Owsley guilty of forgery and financial exploitation of the elderly.

Owsley was not found guilty of official misconduct, and his criminal defense attorney Jed Stone said he was grateful for that part of the ruling. However, Stone contended that there was not enough evidence to prove his client had deceived alleged victim Theodore Hoellen, whom Stone said had a "special father-and-son relationship" with Owsley.

The proceedings for the second trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, 54, began this week as U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel swore in dozens of potential jurors for jury selection, according to the Chicago Tribune. Because the first trial received immense media coverage, Zagel has questioned jurors in more detail about what they knew about the case and the first trial.

As many Chicago locals may have heard, the ex-Illinois governor has returned to the courtroom for a second time on charges alleging he sold his office and tried to do the same with President Barack Obama’s unfilled Senate seat. Reuters reported finding an impartial jury might be challenging for this case since the first trial ended with a hung jury last August because of one holdout juror.

Authorities reported five young men were arrested after allegedly attacking a 49-year-old Northwest Side pizza parlor owner, who had recognized one of the assailants as his son's hockey teammate and identified the other suspects through his son's Facebook page.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Elmwood Park residents Aaron Diaz, 20; Carlo Suarez, 17; Arlind Nikolla, 21; Mateusz Luszczek, 20, and Joseph Wolf, 19, were all arrested and charged with aggravated battery and armed robbery following the owner's attack.

Chicago Metra's acting inspector general Hillard Heintze will be expanding the investigation on whether a former worker attempted to extort a production company manager working on the new film called "Source Code," according to the Daily Herald.

CBS Chicago reported that authorities verified they were examining the case of Metra's former special transportation services manager, Jonathan Gottlieb, who allegedly tried to obtain $2,000 on top of a $19,000 contract negotiated last year with the producers of "Source Code."

The Illinois House of Representatives recently passed a new bill that would protect the identities of gun owners in Chicago and across the state from being revealed to the public. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Richard Morthland, passed the House with votes of 98 to 12 and will move forward to the Senate for further consideration.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan asserted that the gun records listing state residents who own guns and have Firearm Owner Identification cards should be made accessible under Illinois' Freedom of Information Act. Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie native, said he opposed the bill because it was inconsistent with state open-record laws that allowed the names of other state licensees to be disclosed to the public.

Investigators recently charged 49-year-old Ki Hwan Ahn, from Buffalo Grove, with counterfeiting after they caught his employees making imitation Chicago Bears hats in Skokie. A release from the Cook County Sheriff's office said authorities collected nearly 10,000 fake college and pro sports clothing items worth almost $250,000 at Ahn's shop.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, authorities began investigating Ahn in March after the sheriff's Special Operations Unit received a report indicating suspicious activity in his storefront shop, BB Box, on West Touhy Avenue in Skokie. Investigators monitored the store for several weeks and later found that Ahn was reproducing counterfeit apparel.

Many Chicago locals may feel relieved to hear that Chicago Police have announced that overall crime in the city was down in March, making it the 27th consecutive month the crime rate has declined. Total crime across the city has fallen 8.1 percent compared to last March, based on the preliminary statistics released by officials.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, authorities reported that every offense on the violent crimes index has declined, with those crimes reflecting a 10.7 percent drop and property wrongdoings decreasing 7.5 percent from last year. Homicides also generally fell 1.4 percent after a previous 18 percent spike in February, and some of the city's police districts even noticed double-digit declines last month.

Former child hero Derrick Lemon had appeared in Cook County Juvenile Court at the age of 8 to testify how he had attempted to stop two young boys who killed his 5-year-old brother after throwing him off the 14th floor window of the Ida B. Wells housing project in 1994.

But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, Judge Thomas Hennelly has described Lemon as a "very dangerous person" after convicting him of murdering his aunt's boyfriend during a family barbeque in March 2006. Lemon, now 24, was sentenced to a total of 71 years behind bars: 46 years for first-degree murder, and the other 25 years for fatally discharging a firearm.

A six-month drug investigation conducted by state and federal officials, referred to as "Blue Moon" or "Luna Azul," led to the recent arrest of nine men for their roles in a cocaine importing and distribution operation discovered near the Midway Airport on Chicago's Southwest Side. The investigation also utilized electronic surveillance that helped police catch some "significant" cocaine sales on tape.

Authorities identified 39-year-old Chicago local Luciano Chavarin as a member of the drug ring, bringing in cocaine shipments into the city. Chicago Breaking News reported they also found that Chavarin worked with 42-year-old Santiago Gonzalez, another Chicago resident who would set up sales of drugs to locals in the community.