Crime & Safety

Regional Police Report: 9-Year-Old Girl Drowns; Man Killed by Freight Train

The following police related items were pulled from an area Patches. When an arrest is referenced it should not be considered a conviction.

Wheaton

Man Struck, Killed by Freight Train

An eastbound freight train on the Union Pacific West Line apparently struck and killed a 37-year-old man in Wheaton on Thursday morning, Wheaton police said in a brief statement.

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The collision occurred at about 7:45 a.m. near North Hale Street, where there is no railroad crossing, according to a news release. The man’s body was found soon after on the middle tracks west of Chase Street.

Darren Schumacher of Wheaton was found laying near the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at the Washington Street crossing, according to a statement from the Coroner's Office. The Wheaton police and fire departments were contacted at about 7:43 a.m. Thursday.

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Wheaton fire personnel confirmed Schumacher's death at 8:07 a.m. The Coroner's Office was requested to the scene and arrived a short time later, the statement said.

Round Lake

9-Year-Old Girl Drowns in Fox Lake

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office has released the name of the 9-year-old girl who drowned in Fox Lake earlier this week. 

Mireya Elizabeth Cardenas, of Round Lake, was the victim in the Tuesday evening drowning accident, according to McHenry County Coroner Anne L. Majewski. 

Preliminary findings from the autopsy conducted Wednesday revealed findings consistent with drowning. There was no other evidence of trauma noted, Majewski said in a news release issued Thursday afternoon. 

The girl was wading in water with family and friends near the 36000 block of Stanton Point Road in Ingleside about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when she apparently went under after walking further out from the shoreline, according to the coroner's news release and police reports. 

Witnesses immediately called for help and she was pulled from the water by a family friend. Rescue arrived and transported the girl to Centegra Hospital in McHenry where she was later pronounced.

St. Charles

Man Charged with Felony After Altercation with Police

Police responding a complaint of a stolen bicycle on North 15th Street late Saturday encountered a suspect they described as intoxicated and belligerent whom they arrested after he reportedly shoved one of the officers.

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Mark Alan Keska, 40, of the 100 block of North 15th Street, was arrested at 10:37 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013 at his home. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office authorized charges against Keska of felony  aggravated battery to a peace officer, and resisting/obstructing a peace officer. He was being held in the Kane County Jail pending a court appearance.

According to the report, police responded to Keska’s home about 10:05 p.m. after a neighborhood resident reported that he had loaned his mountain bike to Keska, who now was refusing to return it. The bike’s owner told police he had gone to Keska’s apartment to retrieve his bike, but Keska refused to return it.

Skokie

Pedestrian Hit, Killed by Car

An 84-year-old man was struck and killed by a car while crossing Oakton Street Aug. 29. Skokie Police are withholding the man's name until family members are notified.

The incident occurred at 6 a.m. near Oakton Park, though neither the driver nor the victim was affiliated with the park, the statement said.

Skokie police are utilizing the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force – Major Crash Assist Team (NORTAF-MCAT), in the ongoing investigation. NORTAF is composed of law enforcement specialists from various suburban police departments, who can come together for a major event to lend the benefit of their expertise.

Wonder Lake

Man Killed in Motorcycle Crash


A 43-year-old Wonder Lake man was killed early Friday in a motorcycle crash in Wonder Lake, according to a McHenry County Coroner press release. 

Troy E. Farkas was traveling south on East Wonder Lake Road near Spaatz Avenue when his motorcycle went off the roadway, according to the news release. It's unclear at this time why his vehicle left the roadway. 

Farkas was taken to Centegra McHenry Hospital where we was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. Friday.


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