Posted on April 04, 2013 in DUI/DWI

Terrell Garret, a North Chicago police officer, was issued $500,000 bail by Judge James Brown. Garrett is charged with two criminal counts of aggravated driving under the influence and two counts of reckless homicide, according to this report from the Chicago Tribune. If Garrett is able to post 10 per cent of the bail, he will be released but will have to wear an electronic monitoring device in order to prevent him from driving during the case.

The 35-year-old officer from Zion, Illinois, was allegedly driving the wrong way on Lake Shore Drive in the early hours of Friday, March 15 when he struck a car containing two men. These two occupants-Fabian Torres, 27, and Joaquin Garcia, 25-were both killed in the accident.

Garrett has been a police officer since 2008, and has been placed on leave since the accident. Garcia was going to graduate from Malcolm X College in May, and Torres was at DePaul University in Chicago.

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 Posted on March 30, 2013 in Criminal Defense

An Illinois man was recently accused of at least one burglary that occurred in a West Lafayette neighborhood.

At about 9:15 p.m. on Mar. 4, police were called to a home in the Arbor Chase neighborhood for a reported brick being thrown through the window. Along with the assistance from the K-9 unit if the Tippecanoe Co. Sheriff’s Office, the West Lafayette police officers set up a perimeter around the area.

The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Albert Goins, who was tracked down to the nearby Amberleigh Village subdivision, which was where he was arrested around 10:30 p.m. that same night

Goins has also been accused of burglarizing a home in Amberleigh Village on Jan. 30 along with throwing the brick through a window into a home in Arbor Chase of Mar. 4. According to Lt. Troy Harris from the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD), Goins is not a resident of Amberleigh village. The address that Goins provided to the police is a University Park, Illinois address.

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 Posted on March 27, 2013 in Criminal Defense

Gov. Pat Quinn recently told congregants of a prominent Chicago church that fighting street violence is a priority and his proposed budget will help to address the problem.

“We’re never going to give up. We’re never going to let the gangbangers take over!” Quinn shouted from the pulpit to the attendants at Greater St. John Bible Church.

This speech was not schedules for the governor, however, it came only days after the Chicago Democrat delivered what he said was the most difficult budget that the state has ever faced as Republicans and even some fellow Democrats are talking of challenging him in 2014.

Quinn’s new budget contains more money in some areas of public health, including new cadet classes for Illinois State Police and $25 million for mental health care, and huge cuts in education. The governor also spoke about his efforts to retain money for early education and increases for mental health.

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 Posted on March 24, 2013 in Drug Charges

A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for selling drugs to undercover Naperville police, according to a recent story in the Naperville Sun. Jermaine N. Moore was found guilty of a Class 1 felony charge of the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance on February 25. Drug charges should always be taken seriously. An experienced criminal defense attorney can significantly improve your chances of achieving success in the courtroom.

Moore and his sister, Kymtika D. Moore, were arrested two years ago. The arrest took place in a parking lot near McDowell Road and Route 59 on the city’s far northwest side. According to police, the arrests were made by a special police unit ending a month-long investigation concerning Moore’s criminal activities in Naperville.

Police said Moore was arrested “after he brought approximately 20 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of $4,000 to sell in Naperville.” Kymtika Moore helped her brother by driving him to and from the locations where the drugs were sold. She was sentenced “to four days in DuPage County Jail on a charge of unlawful possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine” in December 2011. In addition, she was placed on two years of probation, had to serve 15 days in the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program, and had to pay $1,370 in fines and legal costs.

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 Posted on March 21, 2013 in Weapons

Millions of people rely on public transportation – buses, subways, L-trains, trains. Chicago is known for their transit system and its efficiency and mass usage. Diverse people utilize all forms to get to work, home, play and for tourism. As a relatively safe option for moving around town, what would happen if weapons were allowed on these transportation systems?

The Chicago Transit spoke to legislators to reassess the concealed weapon law for transit systems. They mentioned a bad mix of people who are drunk, violent and hot headed could lead to more violence. Chicago is already on the rise for murders just two months into 2013, and officials are concerned that if anyone can carry a concealed weapon on board public transportation, it would bring about more problems.

Legislators are looking at a variety of options as Illinois is the only state left to make a decision on the concealed weapon law. From full on out permission to carry the concealed weapons to only in specific areas, Illinois is faced with making a clear and concise decision. Supporters believe it will give people a chance to protect themselves; others believe it will just cause more trouble.

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 Posted on March 18, 2013 in Criminal Defense

We all have had a teacher, or two, who we just could not stand. Yes, we might have said a mean thing or two, but did to take it to the internet? Make fake accounts to humiliate those teachers? Spread awful rumors that could potentially harm their career and even harm their families?

North Carolina legislators have said students bullying educators has reached its limit. Harassing, intimidating, or tormenting teachers online has now become against the law. For example, posting pictures of teachers stating they are pedophiles, homosexuals, violent individuals. Also, setting up fake online accounts such as Twitter and posting things as if they were stating things is illegal as well. The law states that it is not allowed to create fake profiles for teachers; however, it is a crime to post real images or make any sort of statement online, true or not. If caught, students could spend up to one month in jail and pay up to $1,000 fee.

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 Posted on March 15, 2013 in DUI/DWI

A 44 year-old Chicago woman is being held on $2 million bail for a January crash that killed two women. Lisa Elner has been charged with failure to report an accident involving death, aggravated driving under the influence involving death, possession of cocaine and other traffic charges.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, on Jan. 26, around 7 a.m., police found Elner wandering around near the entrance ramp to southbound Interstate 55 at Harlem Avenue. She was freezing and according to police, intoxicated. She also was seriously injured and police took her to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. Elner told police she was walking home from a barroom, but never said anything to them about a car accident.

Five hours later, a trucker found an overturned SUV, along the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Police later discovered the bodies of two women, Michelle Miranda, 37, of Berwyn, and Sandra Frankum, 36, of Bolingbrook. An investigation revealed that that the SUV was headed south on Harlem approaching the I-55 ramp about 3 a.m. when the driver lost control and the vehicle jumped a curb and crashed through a barrier before plunging at least 50 feet onto the road below.

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 Posted on March 12, 2013 in Criminal Defense

Two members of a group opposing the installation of wireless electric ‘smart meters’ in Naperville, IL have been arrested for refusing to allow utility workers on their property to install the meters. Malia "Kim" Bendis and Jennifer Stahl are members of Naperville Smart Meter Awareness (NMSA), a group formed to protest the City of Naperville’s decision to make everyone who lives within the Naperville city limits and is a customer of the city-owned electric utility - have the new wireless meters installed in their homes and businesses. If a customer doesn’t want the smart meter, they can pay $68 to have a non-wireless meter installed and a monthly service fee of $25 to cover the cost of having a meter reader come to the property to obtain the read. The city has already installed 57,000 smart meters and is about 99 percent finished with the process according to an article in theChicago Tribune.

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 Posted on March 09, 2013 in Criminal Defense

Joseph L. Lopez Jr.

A 34 year-old Mt. Prospect man is being held in lieu of $250,000 bond, accused of choking and beating a woman and telling her that he would “kill her or bury her alive” after she told him she wanted to end their relationship.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Joseph L. Lopez Jr., grabbed the woman and pushed her into her car, striking her with a closed fist after she tried to break off their two year relationship. Lopez threatened the woman, telling her he would “kill her or bury her alive” if she did not continue dating him. He also told her he would “drive her to Chicago and dissolve her body” if she tried calling police.

Prosecutors told the court that Lopez also slammed the woman’s head into the center console of the car. He choked her until she lost consciousness. When she came to, she told Lopez she would continue to see him and he let her go.

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 Posted on March 06, 2013 in White Collar Crime

In a surprising turn of events, Jesse Jackson Jr. went from a man with huge political aspirations to someone who seems to have lost control. The Democratic Representative from Chicago stepped down recently while being investigated and dealing with health issues. He pleaded guilty to one felony fraud charge on Wednesday February 20^th to secure a plea deal. He was charged with fraud for using $750,000 in campaign money to pay for his lavish living expenses.

The court filed a 22 page report which outlines the spending habits of a politician who many thought would one day run for Mayor in Chicago or President of the US. It started when Jesse opened a campaign account and then withdrew nearly $45,000 to purchase a Rolex watch. He went on to purchase “high-end electronic items, collector’s items, clothing, food and supplies for daily consumption, movie tickets, health club dates, personal travel, and personal dining expenses,” according to the prosecution.

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