June 2009

Man gets life plus 105 years for murders

By Admin on June 30, 2009

A Chicago man was sentenced today to life in prison plus an additional 105 years for the 2002 slayings of an auto repair shop owner and an employee.Craig Lomax, 29, of the 3700 block of South Arthington Street, was
sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Steven Goebel, said Andy Conklin, a
spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Lomax
was convicted on May 6 in a jury trial for the murder and aggravated
kidnapping of Jaime Flores, who owned Economy Auto Sales on North
Lawndale Avenue and Rene Tapia, a tow truck driver.

Lomax’s two
co-defendants in the case were previously sentenced. Lazarek Austin,
28, is serving a life sentence and Olaudah Slaughter, 33, was sentenced
to 45 years after pleading guilty in April.

The three went to
the store in January 2002 to steal what they believed was cash and 4 to
5 kilos of cocaine they believed was at the business. The men found a
small amount of money but no drugs, prosecutors said.

–Carlos Sadovi

Former coach convicted of sex abuse

By Admin on June 30, 2009

A former basketball coach at Walter Payton College Prep High School in Chicago was convicted this afternoon of sexually abusing a 15-year-old student and groping another underage girl, but the Cook County judge acquitted him of more serious charges.

Circuit Judge James Linn convicted George Turner III, 46, on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse following a bench trial, but he was acquitted of more serious criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges.

The judge said he found certain discrepancies in the prosecution case, but he said, “I do believe there was some touching that occurred that was criminal in nature.”

Prosecutors had contended that Turner initiated a sexual relationship with one of the victims that began with sexually explicit conversations and included several alleged assaults on school property.

The second victim, who was a close friend of the first girl, alleged she was groped by Turner in the coach’s office in February 2008.

Turner, who had no previous criminal history, now faces a sentence of probation up to seven years in prison for each of the four counts for which he was convicted.

–Matthew Walberg

2 arrested with alleged fake bills

By Admin on June 30, 2009

Two Chicago men suspected of using counterfeit $100 bills in numerous stores throughout the Chicago area have been arrested after one of them allegedly used one of the bills at a Mundelein clothing store, authorities said today.

Robert Sims, 20, and Craig Williams, 19, were arrested shortly after 12:15 p.m. Monday when Sims allegedly bought a $10 pair of shorts with a counterfeit bill at the Burlington Coat Factory, 1555 S. Lake St., Mundelein Police Sgt. John Monahan said.

The cashier recognized the bill might be suspicious, and called police right away with a description of the suspects and their vehicle, police said. Sims and Williams, both of the 5000 block of South Lake Shore Drive, were stopped by police at U.S. Highway 45 and Gross Point Drive in Vernon Hills, Monahan said.

During questioning, police discovered Sims and Williams each had an additional counterfeit $100 bill in their possession, Monahan said.

The bills were actually $5 bills that had been chemically bleached white and then the image of the $100 bill was printed on them, Monahan said. Because the bills are printed on legitimate U.S. currency paper, they are not always easily detected, he said.

“There are certain safeguards built in that they can’t get around,” Monahan said. “For instance, when you look at the watermark on the counterfeit $100 bill you still see the image of Abraham Lincoln. The bleaching process does not remove his face.”

Police believe the suspects have been using counterfeit $100 bills in other stores, but they did not provide more details this afternoon.

Sims was charged with forgery and theft by deception and was released today on a $50,000 recognizance bond, Monahan said. Williams, who did not present a bill at a store, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and was also released today on a $1,000 recognizance bond, Monahan said.

–Ruth Fuller

Obama: New agency will make financial products understandable

By Admin on June 30, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration sent Congress legislation Tuesday to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency designed to protect Americans from unscrupulous practices and make financial products easier to understand.

Cops release photos in assault in doctor’s office

By Admin on June 30, 2009

Photographs of the suspect. (Chicago police photos)

Chicago police have released photographs of a man suspected of demanding money from a female doctor and attempting to sexually assault her in her North Side office Monday evening.

The doctor managed to disarm her knife-wielding assailant and badly cut him on one or both of his hands, police said this morning.

The doctor was alone in her office in a medical professional building in the 2900 block of North Commonwealth Ave. near St. Joseph Hospital in the Lakeview East neighborhood about 6:30 p.m. when a man came in asking for directions to another office, said Police Officer Laura Kubiak.

He then displayed a knife, put it to the doctor’s throat and forced her to the floor, Kubiak said. The doctor, in her 30s, suffered a puncture wound to her thigh. She was also punched.

But “she managed to disarm him and cut him” before he fled, Kubiak said.

His hand wounds were severe enough to seemingly require medical attention, Kubiak said.

Police are examining videotape from security cameras, Kubiak said.

He was described as a black male, 20 to 30 years old, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, 145 to 160 pounds, with dark skin and dark hair. He wore a plaid shirt and blue jeans and carried a dark-colored single strap back pack.

– Staff report

Pit bull shot after attacking girl and police

By Admin on June 30, 2009

Aurora police were forced to shoot a pit bull terrier six times after it attacked a 13-year-old girl who was walking to summer school and tried to lunge at police officers, officials said today.

The incident took place Monday at about 7:20 a.m. on the 400 block of Jackson Street in the far west suburb, as the girl and two of her friends walked to the Waldo Middle School, said Dan Ferrelli, a spokesman for the Aurora Police Department.
A 911 call alerted police that the dog had attacked the girl in the back of the leg in the residential neighborhood. A short time earlier, the same dog had attacked a golden retriever in the same area as it was being walked by a woman, Ferrelli said.

Ferrelli said that when the two police officers got out of their car as they were responding to the attack, the dog made “the fatal mistake of going after the officers.”

Ferrelli said that before the dog could attack them one of the officers took out his gun and shot the dog three times.

“The dog, despite being hit all three times, didn’t go down,” Ferrelli said.

The dog began walking away and the same officer shot it another three times, fearing that the dog could be a danger to others, Ferrelli said.

The animal’s body was taken away by Animal Control. Officials are searching for the dog’s owner.

– Carlos Sadovi

Zambrano’s response: Trade me to Boston

By Admin on June 30, 2009

Carlos Zambrano had some fun with an unscientific Tribune fan poll in which 57.2 percent of respondents said he should be moved, as Phil Rogers suggested in a column Monday.