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Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Round Lake-area group trains service, comfort dogs; ‘I couldn't leave the house alone before I had her'
Liam Tousignant of Lake Villa missed a lot of classes during his freshman year at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, but things changed as a sophomore when he brought Lilly, his service dog, to class with him. An illustration major, Tousignant said there was a time he would not leave home alone for fear of having a panic attack. Then Lilly entered his life, courtesy of training at Round Lake-based Canines 4 Comfort. As a freshman at college, Tousignant said he left Lilly at home. He would leave his room for a variety of reasons with his roommate, but class was a different matter. When he returned as a sophomore, Lilly came along. 'Now I have a lot less absences,' he said. 'I tried the first year without her, and it was very hard. I couldn't leave the house alone before I had her. Every day, I can do more than I did before.' Tousignant's Lilly was one of 10 specially trained dogs going through their paces Tuesday at a Canines 4 Comfort training session in Gurnee, sharpening their skills to help people when a need arises. Lisa Wernli, a Waukegan native now living in the Round Lake area, is the founder and executive director of Canines 4 Comfort. An experienced dog trainer, she started the organization in 2017, recognizing the need for service animals in a variety of situations. Starting with psychiatric service dogs who help people with conditions like PTSD, anxiety and depression, Wernli said Canines 4 Comfort branched into training emotional support dogs. By 2020, she began training facility dogs, which are commonly referred to as comfort dogs. 'A facility dog can have two or three handlers,' Wernli said. 'They do not live at the facility. They go home with a handler. A psychiatric or emotional support dog (helps) one individual.' Of the 15 facility dogs trained by Canines 4 Comfort in the past five years, Wernli said eight are at police departments, five at schools, one — Macki — is at the Waukegan Fire Department, and another is at the Lake County Courthouse. She has trained 26 emotional support or psychiatric dogs. Beth Moss, a battalion chief with the Waukegan Fire Department who is Macki's handler, said in May that the dog is a benefit to firefighters who have had a challenging day or victims who have had a traumatic experience. She takes Macki to different events around the city, too. 'A young girl was lining up sticks for her,' Moss said of an interaction at an event in May. 'Macki waited for a moment and let the girl know she was playing with him. It's a way to interact with the public in a positive way, not on a bad day for them.' The Waukegan Police Department will have its own comfort dog once training is complete. Wernli said two dogs in training are designated for the Waukegan Police Department, and one will be selected. When there is a situation somewhere where a need is great, Wernli said multiple comfort dogs will go to assist with the situation. Ellie Jensen, a counselor at Prairie Crossing Charter School, and Annie Gernedy, a MTSS coordinator there, are Emi's handlers. Emi spends her day at Prairie Crossing and goes home each evening with either Jensen or Gernedy. She has been at the school since March. The dog helps students with their social-emotional education and with potentially uncomfortable situations. 'She has improved the school community,' Jensen said. 'The kids enjoy her and crowd around her.' Dogs trained by Canines 4 Comfort have helped solve crimes and potentially save lives. Wernli said that at one police department, a sexual assault victim would not talk about their experience. Then the facility dog joined the interrogation. 'Once they brought the dog in, the victim was able to provide the details,' she said. 'One time, a person was going to make an attempt on their life. The dog interrupted the attempt and awoke the parents.' Wernli said Canines 4 Comfort can train eight to 10 dogs a year. If it can find more people who take puppies through obedience training, it would increase the supply of service and facility dogs. 'People shy away from it because they are concerned about giving up the puppy,' she said.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Missing Antioch woman's body found in container on Waukegan man's property: police
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – A Waukegan man has been arrested and charged after the body of a missing Antioch woman was found in a container on his property. On Sunday, March 9, 37-year-old Megan Bos was reported missing from Antioch. Bos was known to spend time in Waukegan and the Antioch Police Department began their investigation, working with other agencies including the Waukegan Police Department to help find her. On Thursday, April 10, authorities went to a Waukegan business to question 52-year-old Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, a person of interest who had frequent contacts with Bos. Mendoza-Gonzalez spoke Spanish and a Waukegan police officer provided translation. Family, Antioch police seek whereabouts of woman missing nearly a month During the conversation, Mendoza-Gonzalez started talking about Bos coming to his house on Wednesday, Feb. 19, but he initially said she left after her visit. After talking about her whereabouts and whether or not she was still alive, Mendoza-Gonzalez said he did not want to be arrested at the store but did not say why, according to investigators. Police said Mendoza-Gonzalez was then taken to the Waukegan Police Department where their conversation continued. He told detectives that Bos was in a container in his yard, located in the 700 block of Yeoman Street in Waukegan. Mendoza-Gonzalez's home was then secured and detectives obtained a search warrant for the property. Further into the interview, detectives said Mendoza-Gonzalez told them that Bos came over to his home on Feb. 19 and visited with him. At some point, Bos snorted some drugs, but Mendoza-Gonzalez stated he did not know what type of drug it was. Bos then reportedly asked if she could hang out in Mendoza-Gonzalez's basement, which he obliged while he went to another part of the house to fix a leaky pipe. When he returned, he allegedly found Bos dead, believing she had overdosed, according to police. Mendoza-Gonzalez told detectives he was afraid he was going to be in trouble, so he left her in the basement for a few days before moving her to a container in his yard, where she remained until detectives found her on Thursday, April 10. According to investigators, Mendoza-Gonzalez said on the night of the alleged overdose, he broke Bos's phone and threw it in the trash. When asked what he planned on doing with her, he said he did not know. Detectives took Bos's body to the Lake County Coroner's Office where an autopsy was performed on Friday, April 11. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The coroner's office said there were no signs of any trauma to her body, nor were there any signs of a struggle. Meanwhile, Mendoza-Gonzalez was charged with two counts of concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse and obstructing justice. He appeared in court for the first time on Saturday, April 12. The investigation remains ongoing and detectives are waiting for further results from the laboratory, including a toxicology report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
14-04-2025
- CBS News
Waukegan man charged with concealing death of missing Antioch woman, authorities say
A Waukegan man was charged with concealing the death of a missing woman from Antioch, last seen in February. The Lake County States Attorney's Office charged 52-year-old Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez with two counts of concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse, and obstructing justice. Waukegan police said on March 9, 37-year-old Megan Bos was reported missing to the Antioch Police Department. Megan also spent time in Waukegan. Antioch police worked with multiple agencies, including the Waukegan Police Department, to find her. On Thursday, April 10, Antioch detectives went to a Waukegan business to question a person of interest [Mendoza-Gonzalez] who had frequent contact with Megan. During that conversation, which had to be translated into Spanish, the person of interest talked about Bos going to his house on Feb. 19 but initially said she left after her visit. After further conversation about her whereabouts and whether she was still alive, he said that he did not want to be arrested at the store but did not say why, police said. The conversation moved to the Waukegan Police Department, where he told detectives that Bos was in a container in his yard in the 700 block of Yeoman Street in Waukegan. He went on to say that Bos had come over to his residence on Feb. 19, and at some point, she snorted some drugs, but he did not know what type of drug it was. He then told detectives that she asked if she could hang out in his basement, which he let her do. He went to another part of the house, tending to a leaky pipe, but when he returned, he found her. He believed she had overdosed and was already dead. Mendoza-Gonzalez said he was scared that he was going to be in trouble, so he left her in the basement for a few days before moving her to a container in his yard, where she remained until she was found by police. He also confessed that on that night, he broke her phone and threw it in the regular trash. When asked what he planned on doing with her, he told detectives he didn't know. An autopsy conducted on Friday showed no signs of any trauma or a struggle to her body. The investigation is still ongoing, pending further results from the lab, including toxicology. Mendoza-Gonzalez appeared in court on Saturday. Court information was not available.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illinois city's police department vows to block law enforcement from coordinating with ICE
An Illinois city police department has vowed to block local law enforcement from coordinating with ICE. The department said that, in accordance with Illinois' Trust Act, it will not give ICE information on individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants. "The city's main objective during this time is to secure and maintain the well-being of our community by following the guidance of the Illinois Attorney General Office, avoiding participation in federal enforcement efforts by preventing the sharing of information based solely on immigration status," Waukegan Police Department's official statement reads. Illinois passed the Trust Act during President Donald Trump's first term in office in 2017. Popular X account Libs of TikTok shared the statement and slammed the department. "Obstructing law enforcement is a crime," the account posted. "Harboring a fugitive is a crime." Nyc Official Says 'Party Is Over' For Illegal Immigrants Read On The Fox News App Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed that the city will continue to comply with the state's legislation. "Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering," Johnson wrote in a social media post on Sunday. "We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home." Ahead of President Trump's return to the White House, sanctuary city leaders doubled down on their opposition to aiding federal immigration efforts. City lawmakers from Chicago to San Diego reaffirmed their local ordinances blocking local law enforcement from aiding ICE. In his January 2025 inauguration address, Trump touched on his plan to tackle illegal immigration, which played a central role in his re-election campaign. "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," Trump said. Trump Administration Carries Out Multiple Raids Targeting 'Criminal Aliens' In First Weekend Tom Homan, Trump's no-nonsense border czar, isn't backing down to sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate. "Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want — more agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So that's a game they want to play? Game on," Homan recently told "Fox & Friends." ICE has been documenting its arrest numbers on X as it works to fulfill the mass deportation promise Trump made to voters during his campaign. Fox News Digital was unable to reach Waukegan Police Department for article source: Illinois city's police department vows to block law enforcement from coordinating with ICE
Fox News
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois city's police department vows to block law enforcement from coordinating with ICE
An Illinois city police department has vowed to block local law enforcement from coordinating with ICE. The department said that, in accordance with Illinois' Trust Act, it will not give ICE information on individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants. "The city's main objective during this time is to secure and maintain the well-being of our community by following the guidance of the Illinois Attorney General Office, avoiding participation in federal enforcement efforts by preventing the sharing of information based solely on immigration status," Waukegan Police Department's official statement reads. Illinois passed the Trust Act during President Donald Trump's first term in office in 2017. Popular X account Libs of TikTok shared the statement and slammed the department. "Obstructing law enforcement is a crime," the account posted. "Harboring a fugitive is a crime." Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed that the city will continue to comply with the state's legislation. "Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering," Johnson wrote in a social media post on Sunday. "We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home." Ahead of President Trump's return to the White House, sanctuary city leaders doubled down on their opposition to aiding federal immigration efforts. City lawmakers from Chicago to San Diego reaffirmed their local ordinances blocking local law enforcement from aiding ICE. In his January 2025 inauguration address, Trump touched on his plan to tackle illegal immigration, which played a central role in his re-election campaign. "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," Trump said. Tom Homan, Trump's no-nonsense border czar, isn't backing down to sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate. "Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want — more agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So that's a game they want to play? Game on," Homan recently told "Fox & Friends." ICE has been documenting its arrest numbers on X as it works to fulfill the mass deportation promise Trump made to voters during his campaign. Fox News Digital was unable to reach Waukegan Police Department for comment.
