Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Prosecutors dropped felony pot charges against a New Jersey man who owns a recording company in Jamaica after a judge ruled police took too long getting a drug dog out to his car.
A Cook County judge ruled that the state police took too long to send a drug dog out to a traffic stop, and that none of the marijuana found in a New Jersey man's trunk could be used as evidence against him. "Forty-one minutes to wait for the dog to arrive was too long," Judge Frank Zelezinski said as he tossed the evidence found in the trunk of 52-year-old Martin Scott's car in September 2011. That evidence was enough marijuana to get Scott locked up for at least six years—and as many as 30—if he had been found guilty of the manufacture or delivery of more than 500 grams of cannabis. Scott was also charged with possessing more than 500 grams of cannabis. Prosecutor Nicholas D'Angelo dropped the charges after Zelezinski made his ruling …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A former Plainfield North gym teacher pleaded guilty to meeting a teen for sex. And that was just one of the things going on in court this week.
More than two years after the police caught her in a car with a half-dressed student from the high school where she was a teacher, Ashley Blumenshine copped a plea. Blumenshine, a 30-year-old former Plainfield North gym teacher, will have to do 11 days in jail. She will also spend two years on sex offender probation and 10 yeas on the Illinois sex offender registry. She tearfully apologized before she was taken into custody to start doing her time. Let's look at what else was going on in the area's courthouses this past week: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
A New Lenox man spoke of his "horrific" ordeal in the county jail after he was arrested for a murder someone else was wanted for.
We started the week off by talking with the New Lenox man jailed for two weeks for a murder allegedly committed by someone else with the same name. Pedro Hernandez, 67, said his time in the Will County jail was "horrific," and that he's looking for a lawyer to talk to about filing a lawsuit. But Hernandez's ordeal was just one of the things going on last week. There was also: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The 22-year-old told his mother she ruined his life before he stabbed her and left her in a ditch, a prosecutor said.
A Cook County judge set bail at $2 million for a local man charged with stabbing his mother and leaving her in a ditch. Blake Springsteen, 22, appeared before Judge Brian Flaherty at the Markham Courthouse. Springsteen faces a charge of attempted murder in connection with the alleged March 4 attack on his 46-year-old mother, Jennifer Springsteen. Assistant State's Attorney Julia Ramirez said Jennifer Springsteen returned to her 3653 W. Flossmoor Road home that day about noon. Blake Springsteen, who also lived there along with his father and two brothers, was in the house when his mother arrived. The mother and son argued, Ramirez said, and Jennifer Springsteen told Blake Springsteen to leave the house or she would call the police. Blake …
If you've got wit, add your punchline to Patch's weekly comic and win a personalized print.
Are you blessed with insight and good humor? Or just bored today? Share your wit with your south suburban neighbors by entering Patch's comic caption challenge. Just add your dialogue for today's comic in the comment section of this post. Our only requirement is that you keep it clean! At week's end, we'll pick the winning punchline based on how many of us here at Patch giggle and smile at your contribution. The user who produces the winning punchline will get a personalized proof of the comic, with the winning words and a credit line, from cartoonist Chuck Ingwersen and Patch. Congratulations to O.L. Taxpayer, with the winning caption to last week's Poker Dog cartoon: Hey Butch, just a hint. Stop wagging your tail when you get a good "…
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Our former representative will now face a June 28 sentencing date and potentially significant jail time after pleading guilty to misusing an estimated $750,000 in campaign funds.
Former 2nd District Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to illegally spending roughly three quarters of a million dollars in campaign money, according to the Sun-Times Media. “For years I lived off my campaign. I used money that should have been for campaign purposes for personal purposes,” Jackson Jr. told Judge Robert Wilkins. Jackson reportedly claimed his decision to plead guilty was because he has “no interest in wasting the taxpayers’ time or their money.” According to the Chicago Tribune, Jackson said "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?,” to a reporter on his way out of the courtroom. In what might be a mitigating attempt, Jackson’s lawyer, Reid Weingarten, said he plans to make an extensive presentation …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The former 2nd District representative may face $250,000 in fines and loss of his federal pension, in addition to jailtime after years of misspent campaign funds.
Former 2nd District Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. may lose an estimated $45,000 in federal pension and could face up to five years in prison, the Chicago Tribune reports. Reports indicate Jackson Jr. intends to plead guilty to spending over $750,000 in personal items—money which he now must pay back along with some of the swag he’s collected over the years. His wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, faces up to three years in prison for filing false tax returns for the past six years. She also plans on pleading guilty, the report says. Both Jackson’s could also each be fined up to $250,000. The outcome of the court’s decision will be based on many factors, some of which help Jackson, such as his ongoing struggle with Bipolar II disorder and…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Judge Cynthia Brim, who has a long history of mental illness, was found not guilty at her Monday misdemeanor battery trial, according to a Sun-Times Media report.
Cook County Judge Cynthia Brim was found not guilty Monday by reason of insanity after a misdemeanor battery trial, the Sun-Times Media reports. Judge Brim was in court for shoving a Sheriff’s deputy back in March after he asked her why she decided to throw her keys at a security checkpoint at the Daley Center, according to the report. She was dressed in hospital scrubs and a fur coat at the time of the confrontation, and allegedly off her medications. Brim has a history of bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder that predates her move up to the bench in 1994, the Sun-Times reports, and she’s been hospitalized five times since 1993 for psychotic episodes. Nonetheless, Brim won re-election for her $182,000 yearly position last …
Monday, January 28, 2013
The DeKalb County and Lake County courthouses have also been cleared for cameras.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The DeKalb County and Lake County courthouses have also been cleared for cameras.
Three more counties have been cleared to have cameras inside their courthouses. The Illinois Supreme Court announced that cameras in courtrooms have been approved for the new 23rd Circuit, which included Kendall County and DeKalb County, and in Lake County in the 19th Circuit, according to a story in the Elgin Courier-News. According to the story, "Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon has said he expects to have cameras operating in Kane courtrooms sometime this year." The Illinois Press Association has reported that is up to the chief judge in each the state's 23 circuits to decide whether to allow courtroom cameras. "The policy will allow for up to two video cameras and two still cameras in a courtroom at the same time. Cameras would…
Tobias Cichon
10:30 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
I'd imagine so, otherwise, why create such a plant? This was a win for morality. more ›