Crime & Safety

Regional Police Report: Man's DNA Found on Murder Weapon, Bank Robber Hunted, and More

The following is a selection of police-related items reported in area Patches recently. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Deerfield

Man's DNA Found on Murder Weapon

A witness in the Daniel Baker murder trial testified this week that the Deerfield man’s DNA was found on the handle of the baseball bat prosecutors claim was used to kill Vernon Hills woman Marina Aksman, according to a story in the Daily Herald.

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Kelley Lawrence of the Northern Illinois Crime Lab also told the court the driver’s side air bag that inflated on Baker’s car when he crashed it into Aksman’s home contained both his DNA and that of his then girlfriend and Aksman’s daughter, Kristina Aksman, according to the Daily Herald.

Des Plaines

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Feds Hunt Bank Robber

The FBI is asking for the public’s help in searching for a man they suspect robbed area banks on Saturday and Monday, and attempted to rob a TCF Bank located in Jewel Osco, 819 S. Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines, on Sunday, the FBI stated in a press release Tuesday.

Law enforcement has surveillance photos and videos of what they believe is the same male subject, Hyde said, robbing a TCF Bank in a Jewel Osco, 4734 N. Cumberland Ave. in Chicago, on Oct. 13, attempting to rob the TCF on Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines on Oct. 14, and robbing Charter One Bank, 4411 N. Cumberland Ave. in Norridge on Oct. 15. In all three incidents, the suspected man presented a note, made verbal demands, and wore a dark, long-sleeve flannel shirt, the FBI stated.


Highland Park

Woman Pleads Not Guilty in 5-year-old's Death

The 18-year-old Highland Park resident who crashed her car into a family on Labor Day, killing a 5-year-old girl, formally denied that she huffed a cleaning product before the crash Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

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Carly Rousso stood quietly in court on Thursday as her lawyer entered not guilty pleas for her charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence, according to NBC Chicago.

Skokie

Eight Convicted of Charges From 'Boy Lover' Sting

A total of eight self-identified "boy lovers" have been convicted after meeting several underage males in a hotel in Skokie, federal officials announced today.

The incident happened three years ago, with a Crest Hill man sentenced to 120 years in prison. Six of the eight defendants pleaded guilty and three of them cooperated against others, while the Crest Hill man and a Missouri defendant were convicted after separate trials, authorities said. 

“The sentences in these cases reflect the stark reality that defendants who prey upon children by sexually exploiting or abusing them will be punished severely,” said Gary S. Shapiro, acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Palatine

Pellet Gun Causes School Lockdown

Three Palatine schools, Palatine High School and Virginia Lake and Jane Addams Elementary were in a “soft lockdown” for close to two hours after a nearby resident spotted a group of teenagers playing with what looked to be a handgun late Wednesday morning.

Police later found out the "gun" was actually a pellet gun and not a firearm.

A resident of the 1500 block of Winslowe Drive reported five males in their teens were playing with what appeared to be a handgun around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. “We notified the school immediately,” said Palatine Police Cmdr. Mike Seebacher. “That apartment complex backs right up to the Palatine High School property.

Lake In The Hills

Crystal Lake South Graduate Killed In Hit-and-Run In Urbana

A , after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver at about 11:50 p.m. Friday at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Anthony Pauls, 22, a graduate from Crystal Lake South High School, was pronounced dead at 7:54 a.m. at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, police said. Pauls was walking in the 200 block of W. University Avenue near the Lake Street intersection .

, and leveled preliminary charges of one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death and other traffic charges against him, Sgt. Andy Hawkin said in the press release.

Volo

Missing Woman Was Living in Her Vehicle Near the Dells

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Volo woman who was located in the Wisconsin Dells Sunday night after being reported missing for more than a week told authorities she and her kids had been living in her Chevy Trailblazer in the woods because she had to "get away."

The sheriff's office has requested that the Lake County State's Attorney review the case for possible charges.

Authorities said Aneta M. Marsek, 33, of 261 N. Cornerstone Dr., Volo, , and asked the attendant to call police.

McHenry

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren announced Thursday, Oct. 18, the arrest of three Lake County residents for multiple drug charges.

The sheriff's department conducted surveillance near Chapel Hill and Route 120 near McHenry on Oct. 16, Nygren stated in a press release. During the investigation, officers saw two vehicles meet and observed one of car's occupants carrying a bag with marijuana.

Deputies recovered about , police said. Deputies also recovered drug paraphernalia and seized a 2006 Infiniti, Nygren said.


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