Latest news with #Attorney'sOffice
CBS News
18 hours ago
- CBS News
Addison teen charged with leading police on high-speed chase, possessing gun in Wood Dale, Illinois
A teen was ordered held after being charged with leading police on a high-speed chase while possessing a handgun in Wood Dale, Illinois, earlier this week, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office announced on Friday. Emmanuel Rivera, 18, of Addison, Illinois, was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding, one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, and multiple misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses, including leaving the scene of an accident involving damage and speeding over 35 miles per hour over the limit. Rivera appeared in court Thursday afternoon, where the judge granted the state's motion to deny his pre-trial release. On Tuesday, Wood Dale officers responded to a disturbance involving a white Nissan sedan in the 500 block of North Maple Avenue, just after 9 p.m. Shortly after, officers saw the Nissan heading northbound on Maple Avenue as it turned east onto Elmhurst Street. Officers in two separate squad cars activated their emergency lights and attempted to perform a traffic stop. The Nissan driver, later identified as Rivera, allegedly did not pull over, ignored a stop sign, and fled eastbound on Elmhurst Street, leading to a pursuit. It is further alleged that Rivera reached speeds of at least 60 miles per hour in a 20-mile-per-hour zone, the office said. After turning southbound on Route 83 from Elmhurst Street, he crashed into a median and disabled the Nissan. At that time, Rivera and multiple occupants allegedly exited the vehicle and fled on foot. During a search of the Nissan, officers found a Glock 27, sub-compact, .40 caliber firearm with one bullet in the chamber. Later that evening, officers identified Rivera as the driver. He turned himself in to the Wood Dale Police Department. He is due back in court on July 21.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County law enforcement officials say gun violence down; ‘We are getting illegal guns off the street'
Police departments, prosecutors, social service organizations and others all play a role in the effort to reduce the use of firearms for brutal acts. Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal believes there is another vital ingredient in the fight — community. Statistics from the Waukegan and North Chicago police departments, as well as the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, indicate incidents of gun violence are declining. And, in some situations, community members are more willing to give information about gun-related incidents to law enforcement, officials said. Neal said he was touched at a Boys and Girls Clubs of Lake County event earlier this month focused on preventing gun violence. People told stories about losing loved ones to shootings. It touched him and others in attendance. 'They said, 'They took something from me I can't get back. Gun violence has hurt me,'' Neal said. 'My hope is that more people understand that (so) the community will come together and stop this nonsense.' Local law enforcement officials and State's Attorney Eric Rinehart are making a push to raise awareness of issues surrounding the impact of the use of guns during Gun Violence Awareness Month in June. In its proclamation making June Gun Violence Month in Waukegan, the city labeled gun violence an 'epidemic' and a 'public health crisis.' Both Mayor Sam Cunningham and Police Chief Edgar Navarro said at a City Council meeting on June 16 that community involvement is growing. 'You now become de facto police officers,' Cunningham said. 'You become our eyes, our ears. We can't be everywhere, but you can help us out. That car that's not supposed to belong on that block, neighborhood watch. That's how we reduce gun violence.' Rinehart started his initiative to reduce gun violence in June of 2022. It was about more than enforcement and prosecution. He said his office is now using a three-pronged approach to lowering gun crimes. 'We are holding offenders accountable,' Rinehart said. 'Lake County leads the state in the issuance of firearm protection orders, and we're rethinking the use of community engagement regarding the root causes of gun violence.' Working for the State's Attorney's Office is a group of peacemakers who can identify with people in the community — particularly young people. Reihart said they are violence interrupters who work with people who may be prone to violence. 'They are reaching out to at-risk youth to decompress situations before the bullets are in the air,' he said. Both homicides and killings using firearms dropped 30% in Lake County from 2023 to 2024, according to information provided by the State's Attorney's Office. In Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion, the decline was 61% between 2022 and 2024, as were non-fatal injuries from firearms. Along with the reduction in offenses, Rinehart said his office pushed firearm restraining orders issued by a judge from single digits between 2019 and 2021, to 25 in 2022, 32 in 2023 and 46 last year. In Waukegan, Neal said in 2022 there were 60 firearm offenses, 36 in 2023, 73 last year and 21 through Monday, which puts the city on pace for 44 this year. In 2023, Waukegan held a gun buyback for $100 per firearm, taking 107 off the street. 'We are getting illegal guns off the street from traffic stops and investigations,' he said. In addition to homicides, Neal said gun crimes include aggravated battery with a firearm, armed robbery with a firearm, armed robbery where a firearm was discharged, armed robbery where there was great bodily harm or death, and aggravated vehicular automobile hijacking of the elderly. In North Chicago, Police Chief Lazaro Perez said incidents of shots fired have dropped dramatically since the city started using ShotSpotter in late 2020. There were 399 incidents reported in 2022, 251 in 2023 and 96 last year. 'It has helped a lot,' he said. 'The police know immediately where it is. They dispatch themselves to the call. They get information from neighbors, which leads to arrests.' Opening a substation on 10th Street — the roadway dividing North Chicago and Waukegan — in North Chicago has made a difference in getting the community involved. North Chicago Deputy Police Chief Gary Lunn said it is making a difference in the neighborhood. 'It's building trust and partnership with the community,' Lunn said. 'They're forming watch groups and calling us. They're coming to us.' Neal said that people who see or hear of criminal activity, including gun use in Waukegan, can use an anonymous tip app that lets a community member make police aware of suspicious activity without disclosing their identity.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Christina Formella case: What are the charges against former Downers Grove teacher
The former teacher of Downers Grove South High School, who is accused of sexually abusing a minor student, has been charged with 55 criminal counts. Christina Formella, 30, is accused of engaging in an extended, manipulative relationship with a student that allegedly began when the boy was just 14 years old. On Tuesday, she was arraigned in DuPage County Circuit Court on 52 additional charges, following the initial three counts she faced after her March arrest. ALSO READ| Christina Formella family: All on the ex-Downers Grove teacher's husband, Michael Formella The new charges include multiple counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child, and grooming. Prosecutors say Formella used her authority and access as a teacher to create a damaging and coercive relationship with the boy, who later came forward with his mother to report the abuse to Downers Grove police. Community High School District 99 said Formella resigned from her position at the school and voluntarily surrendered her teaching license on Monday, the day before her court appearance. Prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew told Judge Mia McPherson that the abuse lasted nearly two years and that Formella had sex with the student 'at least 45 times, including at school, during school hours and at her home.' '(Formella) knew what she was doing was wrong,' McAndrew said, adding that the former teacher 'is unbelievably conniving and unbelievably controlling.' McAndrew also told the court that Formella manipulated the boy into turning off the location tracking on his phone and made him feel guilty and ashamed about their interactions. She argued that Formella posed an ongoing threat to the victim and the community, especially since she lives near the high school. McAndrew pushed for the judge to revoke Formella's bail and detain her under Illinois' SAFE-T Act, saying, 'no conditions could mitigate the threat that Formella poses.' But Judge Mia McPherson denied that request. While she acknowledged the allegations as 'horrifying in nature,' 'shocking,' and 'appalling,' the judge concluded that the general public was not at risk and that further restrictions could be placed to protect the alleged victim. ALSO READ| Who is Christina Formella? Illinois special education teacher, 30, arrested for allegedly molesting 15-year-old student Formella is now required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, surrender her passport, and cannot leave Illinois without the court's permission. Now, if convicted, Christina Formella faces up to 60 years in prison, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Peoria teen ordered held in custody pending trial on racketeering charges
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — An alleged member of a notorious street gang was ordered held in custody Friday pending the outcome of his case. Kendal E. Patterson, 18, was indicted Tuesday for violating the state's anti-racketeering laws as well as aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon, the latter charge alleged they possessed a loaded machine gun. He was initially scheduled to appear on Thursday, but his attorney asked for a delay of one day to prepare for the hearing, which is allowed under the state's SAFE-T Act. Two more alleged members of the 'Snakes' indicted for RICO violations Patterson is accused in connection with incidents on Feb. 24, 2023, in the 800 block of Gift Avenue, also in Peoria. His prosecution is part of an effort by the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office to combat street violence. Last fall, State's Attorney Jodi Hoos filed the RICO counts against 10 people under the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act which alleges they were affiliated with the 'Snakes' street gang, which prosecutors said is linked to a 'rash of violence that has plagued the area.' At the time, six of the 10 were minors, and Hoos said she planned to ask a judge to transfer the case from the juvenile division to the adult division. Patterson's case was moved to adult court late last month. Of the other nine people, all their cases are still pending. Patterson's trial is set for early July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man gets 120 free flights after pretending to be a flight attendant
Tiron Alexander is soon to be sentenced and faces decades in prison after he was caught impersonating flight attendants dozens of times in order to get free flights A canny traveller managed to blag his way onto 120 flights for free by impersonating cabin crew. At the moment, flying is expensive business. A shortage of aircraft due to supply-side issues, and spiking demand post-Covid, has sent ticket prices soaring. In the last year, the consumer price index for airline tickets shot up by 25% in the US, with similar rises in the UK. As heavy on the purse strings as jetting off somewhere nice may now be, not many would-be passengers have gone to the same lengths to save cash as Tiron Alexander. According to a release filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, on June 5 the 35-year-old was convicted of wire fraud and entering into a secure area of an airport by false pretenses. Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@ He did so with the view of securing free flights through the booking system meant for airline employees, and managed to bag 120 using the scheme. "From 2018 to 2024, Alexander booked free flights on an airline carrier's website that were only available to pilots and flight attendants," the Attorney's Office writes. "Over the 34 flights, Alexander claimed through the airline carrier's website application process — a process that required an applicant to select whether they were a pilot or flight attendant and provide their employer, date of hire, and badge number information — that he worked for seven different airlines and had approximately 30 different badge numbers and dates of hire." Tiron managed to secure 120 flights for free by claiming he was a flight attendant working for seven different airlines. It is not completely clear how he managed to repeatedly gain access to the internal systems that flight attendants use with different airlines. Why nonexistent badge numbers were not flagged by at least one of them is not clear either. READ MORE: Flight attendant reveals first thing crew do in an emergency at 30,000ft "The evidence at trial also showed that Alexander posed as a flight attendant on three other airline carriers. Ultimately, Alexander booked more than 120 free flights by falsely claiming to be a flight attendant," the statement from the Attorney's Office adds. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra is scheduled to sentence Alexander on August 25, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud counts and up to 10 years for entering the airport's secure area, according to the indictment. Although there is no suggestion that he did anything wrong or illegal, Steven Rothstein is another high-profile example of a passenger who loved a free or cheap flight. The New York investment banker bought an American Airlines all-you-can-fly AAirpass in the 1980s and then set about using it to fly around the world, in first class, several times a month for 25 years. American Airlines ended up growing tired of his relentless round-the-world travelling and decided to kick him off it in 2008. Despite his best legal efforts, Steven was unable to get the pass reinstated.
