Chicago woman chauffeured son to Cicero to shoot 'informant

A Chicago woman allegedly drove her juvenile son and an accomplice to Cicero last month to shoot a person they believed was a police informant.
Linda J. Vargas-Jurado, 33, was taken into custody this morning at her home in the 1500 block of North Kostner Avenue by Cicero and Chicago police, along with Drug Enforcement Administration agents. She was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
“We believe that the mother believed an informant in a drug-related incident was in Cicero and she drove her son and a friend to shoot and kill the alleged informant,” said Cicero Police Chief Bernard Harrison in a statement. “But they ended up shooting someone else. That person who was shot is recovering from the attack.”
Cicero police have not released the name of the victim who was shot in the alley in the 5600 block of Cermak Road on Oct. 2 at about 7:45 p.m. The juvenile and the accomplice, Miguel Torres, 20, also of Chicago, were both arrested and charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm two days after the incident.
Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania said the victim was recently released from Loretto Hospital in Chicago and is in good condition

Murder charges filed after Chicago illegal alien kills homeless man with fire extinguisher (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

A Chicago man has been charged with murder after a fire extinguisher police say he threw off a parking deck hit and fatally injury a homeless man in Elgin.
Yancarlo Garcia, of the 1100 block of North Lawndale Avenue, threw a fire extinguisher from the top of a parking deck at 245 Fulton St. in the northwest suburba about 1:40 a.m. Aug. 11, striking Richard Gibbons, 60, who was sleeping in an alley bellow.
Gibbons suffered injuries to the abdomen and died Sept. 4 at  a Hospital.

Chicago man pleads guilty to robbing bank in Rockford (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

 Chicago man has pleaded guilty to robbing a Rockford bank in May and also admitted robbing a gas station a few days before that heist.
Gregory E. Lockett, 39, of Chicago pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges for the May 10 robbery of the Associated Bank, 3333 N. Rockton Ave. in Rockford.
Lockett said he displayed a fake handgun, jumped over the teller counter and took a total of $8,549 before fleeing.
As part of his written plea Lockett also admitted robbing $80 from a Mobil gas station and convenience store on May 7.

Chicago Man ties up store clerk in Oak Lawn, but scared off by exterminator (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

A man was arrested after he tied up a clerk at a games store in Oak Lawn but was scared off by an exterminator before he could rob the place.
Ulis M. Booker, 39, entered the Game Stop store in the 8700 block of Ridgeland Avenue in the south suburb shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday and pointed a gun at the 22-year-old clerk.
Booker took the clerk to a back room and was tying him up when an employee of a pest control company entered the store, Kaufmann said. Booker then walked to the front, pasy the exterminator and then left the store.
In the meantime, the clerk was able to free his hands and then ran into a closet, from where he called 911.
A video camera caught Booker discarding some of his clothes into a trash bin at the back of the store. He was only a few blocks from the store when police spotted him walking down the street and arrested him.
A .25-caliber gun was found next to a bush in the 8700 block of Mobile Avenue, a block from where Booker was arrested.
Booker was charged with aggravated unlawful restraint and attempted armed robbery and was ordered held on $150,000 bail.
Booker, who lives in the 5100 block of West Augusta Boulevard in Chicago, has a 2007 conviction for resisting a peace officer.

2 Chicago men held in Wilmette burglaries (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

Two Chicago men have been charged in Wilmette in the wake of nine recent home burglaries.
Jeremiah D. Johnson, 20, of the 7700 block of South Exchange Street, and Avery Rogers, 19, of the 7800 block of South Avalon Avenue were arrested Sunday in Wilmette

Chicago man arrested after domestic disturbance, chase

JANESVILLE, Wis. -- A Chicago man has been arrested after a domestic disturbance along Interstate 39/90 in southern Wisconsin turned into a police chase.

Troopers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance outside a car parked along the freeway in Dane County shortly before 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Motorists reported seeing a man grabbing a woman, who was resisting.

When troopers arrived, the car was gone. A trooper near Janesville soon spotted the vehicle and tried to stop it, but the Wisconsin State Patrol says the 27-year-old driver fled at high speed, weaving in and out of traffic.

Authorities used spikes to stop the car, damaging two tires. The driver was arrested on suspicion of several felony charges.

Illinois authorities are also investigating due to possible domestic abuse charges there.

Chicago man among suspects sought in Galesburg shooting (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

Police in the western Illinois community of Galesburg say they've taken a teenager into custody but are still looking for four more people -- including one reportedly from Chicago -- in the shooting death of a man in a crowded park.

Police say 21-year-old Jemell Ware was shot at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday in Kiwanis Park and was pronounced dead a short time later at Galesburg Cottage Hospital. They say they do not believe Ware was armed.
Galesburg Police Chief David Christensen says a 16-year-old boy was taken into custody. WGIL Radio reports that warrants have been issued for a Chicago man and three Galesburg men.

Police say evidence has been collected from the scene but did not say if they found a gray and maroon van that the shooter might have used to flee.

Woman accused of robbing bank in nun habit 9 (Forget the Mexican border put a fence around Chicago)

A Chicago woman robbed a Palos Heights bank of $120,000 at gunpoint while wearing a mask and nun habit similar to one worn in the movie, “The Town,” federal authorities charged today.

Navahcia Edwards had previously worked at the TCF Bank branch in Palos Heights that was the scene of the holdup on May 29, according to the federal complaint.
Edwards and a male accomplice who has not been arrested both wore the nun outfits and displayed weapons during the takeover of the TCF Bank.

Records from a costume shop show that Edwards used her Visa card to purchase two “Nun on the Run adult masks” 10 days before the robbery, the FBI alleged.

Video surveillance from the bank matches the masks, according to the complaint. In addition, she also used a credit card to purchase the “Adult Funny Nun Costume” from another website, authorities said.

It is the second time in a month that federal authorities have slapped Edwards with charges in a bank theft. She was released on her own recognizance earlier this month after being charged with embezzling almost $20,000 in cash while working at a Chase Bank branch in Country Club Hills.

According to the new charges against her, Edwards appears to have robbed the TCF Bank so she could pay back much of the money she allegedly stole from Chase branch.

Edwards worked at the TCF bank for four months in 2010.

Chicago man charged in New Lenox killing (Forget the Mexican border, put a fence around Chicago)

A 23-year-old Chicago man convicted of burglarizing and burning the Illinois Aviation Museum in Bolingbrook in 2009 was charged today with murdering a 59-year-old Mokena-area man in his home on the 13000 block of 184th Place.
Will County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Kaupas said Rodney Julun of the 6900 block of South Laflin Street was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of home invasion, three counts of residential burglary, one count of robbery, and one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. His bond has been set at $5 million.
Kaupas said Julun met Dwight Jones, 59, for the first time on June 11, and Jones invited Julun to his home in unincorporated New Lenox Township, Kaupas said. The Will County Coroner's Office, which ruled blunt-force trauma to the head as the cause of Jones' death, said the homicide appeared to have occurred June 11, Kaupas said.

Julun allegedly met up with two other Chicago men -- John Henry White, 20, of the 4900 block of West Erie Street and David Darnell Reed, 23, of the 7300 block of South Prairie Avenue -- and told them about the murder.

Reed and White were charged with burglary, and remained in the Will County Adult Detention Facility today in lieu of $250,000 bail apiece.

On June 12, the three allegedly drove Jones' VW Jetta to his home and burglarized it, Kaupas said, adding investigators believe the trio returned to Jones' home at least once more.

Reed allegedly told investigators he recalled seeing Jones' body lying on a bed, wrapped in bed clothing "and doused with gasoline," prosecutors said at Reed's bond hearing today.
Jones' abandoned car was recovered last week in Harvey.

Police arrested Julun late last week on a warrant for allegedly violating the terms of a 48-month probation on the arson and burglary conviction.

$250K bail for man accused of robbing murdered man's home

A Will County Circuit Court judge set bail at $250,000 Tuesday for a 23-year-old Chicago man accused of stealing from the home of a murder victim as his decomposing body lay on a bed.
Judge Marzell L. Richardson initially appeared to balk at setting such a high amount for David Darnell Reed, charged only with the burglary of the residence on the 13000 block of 184th place in unincorporated Mokena.  But Richardson was persuaded after a prosecutor said Reed told Will County Sheriff's Police he was aware of the murder of Dwight Jones.
Jones’ body was found June 14.
According to prosecutors, Reed said he accompanied the alleged murderer and a third man to Jones' home in the victims’ stolen car. Reed allegedly said he recalled seeing Jones' body lying on a bed, wrapped in bed clothing "and doused with gasoline."
Also charged with burglary in connection with Jones' murder is John Henry White, 20, of the 4900 block of West Erie Street in Chicago. White's bail was also set at $250,000 Monday.
A 23-year-old Chicago man who officials say is also connected to the crime is in the Adult Detention Facility as well but has not yet been charged, according to the Will County State's Attorney's Office. That man was taken into custody Friday on a warrant for allegedly violating probation in a 2009 burglary. His bail is set at $100,000 in connection with that charge.
Will County Sheriff's deputies found Jones' decomposing body June 14. They also found the patio door unlocked, rooms ransacked and Jones' car missing from the garage. The Will County Coroner's Office said Jones, 59, died of blunt-force trauma.