Regional Police Report: Feds Say Former Police Commander Lied About DUI Arrests and More

Des Plaines

Feds: Former Police Commander Inflated DUI Arrests

A former Des Plaines police commander has been charged with falsifying records to obtain grant funding for overtime pay following an investigation by the city, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.

Timothy Veit, 55, of Mount Prospect, a 31-year law enforcement veteran, is accused of inflating the number of DUI arrests that would qualify for the federal funds from 30 to 152, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, between 2009 and 2012.

The false information Veit provided, according to the charges, caused a loss of $132,893 in federal funds that were reimbursed to Des Plaines for impaired driving enforcement programs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.

Veit was the project director for the police department’s participation in a traffic enforcement program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated, which had a performance objective for law enforcement to arrest, on average, at least one person for driving under the influence during every 10 hours of overtime officers worked during specific, qualifying hours.

Antioch

Teenagers Killed in Crash

A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were killed Monday night after their vehicle struck a tree in Antioch. Weather appears to be a contributing factor.

The crash occurred at approximately 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, in the 27000 block of Wilmot Road in Antioch, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office press release. The driver was a 16-year-old Joel Wittkamp from Antioch. The passenger was a 17-year-old Ashley Seay from Lindenhurst.

The teens were traveling westbound on Wilmot Road from Lake Street in a black 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer when their vehicle left the road, went through a yard and hit a tree, reported the sheriff's office. The tree uprooted and partially landed on the vehicle.

Lake in the Hills

Man Indicted On Child Pornography Charges

Lake in the Hills resident Robert Krusee, 70, submitted to authorities after he was indicted Wednesday on child pornography charges, the Northwest Herald reports.

Krusee, of the 900 block of Windstone Court, was charged with two counts aggravated child pornography (Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years) and two counts possession of child pornography (a Class 2 felony punishable three to seven years), the story said.

Police serached Krusee's home and found computer files containing thousands of photographs and videos depicting child pornography, the Herald reports.

Palatine

Fraternity Sued Over Hazing Death

The family of David Bogenberger, the NIU student who died in an alcohol-related hazing incident, has sued Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity Inc.

Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity, Inc. expressed condolences to Bogenberger's family, according to the Daily Herald, and added that the local NIU fraternity has been suspended due to not meeting standards regarding alcohol and hazing. 

Bogenberger was just 19-years-old at the time of his death, and was a 2012 Palatine High School graduate.

Crystal Lake

A 14-year-old girl was found dead Thursday morning at according to Crystal Lake Police and Park District officials.

The girl was found at about 7:45 a.m. by a passerby near the pond.

Police did not release the cause of death, but no foul play is suspected, said Crystal Lake Police Cmdr. Dan Dziewior. The girl's name was withheld because she is a juvenile. The teen was reported missing late Wednesday night.

Friends and acquaintances of the victim said she attended Prairie Ridge High School. The girl's Facebook page was filled with messages of condolences by late Thursday night. Many of the messages described the teen as a talented singer, musician and artist.