Wilver Sanchez, 29, of the 100 block of S. Porter St. in Elgin, was arrested Thursday on nine felony charges alleging he possessed and delivered more than 15 but less than 100 grams of cocaine to an undercover Carpentersville police officer, court records said.

Sanchez is charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class X felony; four counts of delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony; and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, a report said. Each Class X charge — the most serious offense Sanchez is charged with — carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison plus fines.

Sanchez was being held at the Kane County jail on Friday night.

Sanchez told a judge in Elgin bond court on Friday that he has lived in Elgin with some friends for about four years. He works at a local restaurant and is not a citizen of this country, Sanchez said in court.

Sanchez has five previous arrests on drug charges, according to court records.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

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“If there was a local solution to this issue, and this goes back to my Texas roots, the border states would have already figured it out,” said Womack, who was police chief in Sugarland, Texas, before coming to Elgin in 2005. “In my opinion, there is not a local solution.”

Womack’s remarks were made during a 45-minute conference call and discussion with the Sacramento-based Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative, which hopes to advance a dialogue on immigration reform.

Reporters from Chicago suburban news outlets and even The New York Times listened and asked questions.

Sheriff Richard Wiles of El Paso County, Texas, and Chief Sam Granato of the Yakima, Wash., police, also spoke.

Womack talked for five minutes in general terms about immigration’s effect in Elgin and took several questions from reporters.

Wiles and Granato said the large majority of illegal immigrants are in the United States for economic reasons. They said illegal immigrants are often targeted for crimes because victims are afraid police will deport them.

Some Elgin groups, such as the Association for Legal Americans, have pressured the city to do more to fight illegal immigration.

Two years ago, the city enacted several steps, such as using e-Verify to double check Social Security numbers of new city employees and auditing companies that do business with the city to ensure their employees are in the United States legally.

Womack said Elgin police check the residency status of all who are arrested and report that information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE generally only deports people who commit violent crimes, are gang members, sex offenders or drug dealers.

Elgin police do not check residency status of people reporting crimes, Womack said.

Womack said there is a misconception in the community that Elgin police can deport illegal immigrants.

“There is a perception, a feeling and at times a demand, to enforce residency status,” Womack said.

“Immigration law and enforcement is a federal law enforcement matter … We have no one voice on this issue and it has been polarizing at times for this community.”

The two other chiefs said they don’t have the resources to enforce immigration laws and doing so would destroy trust and goodwill built up within the Hispanic and minority community.

They compared the immigration situation to the absurdity of asking police to collect taxes for the Internal Revenue Service.

Womack, like the other chiefs, called on federal lawmakers to enact clear, concise and consistent immigration reform.

“This is a problem that has gone on too long,” Granato said. “It’s time this Congress and this President step up to the plate and give us some reform.”

Womack also stressed that she was not endorsing or backing any political agenda, but noted that “securing the borders is absolutely the first step.”

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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The fire caused no serious injuries. Three people, including one firefighter, were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, firefighters said.

It started around 2:45 a.m. in the kitchen of a third floor unit in the 1100 block of Fleetwood Drive, just south of Route 20 and McLean Boulevard, according to the fire department.

Emergency crews put the fire out by 3 a.m. but spent another two hours at the scene completing their investigation and securing the property.

“The kitchen was pretty much destroyed,” Elgin Fire Capt. Dick Cummings said. “There was smoke and heat damage to both the apartment and the third-floor hallway area.”

Firefighters estimated the damage at $30,000, Cummings said.

The city of Elgin shut down the apartment building because of water and electrical damage. Twelve people obtained emergency food or shelter from the American Red Cross, city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said.

Olafson said the occupants of all but two units – the one where the fire broke out and the one directly below it – were to be allowed to return Wednesday evening.

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Kane County transportation officials have denied a city request to install red light cameras for southbound traffic at three Randall Road intersections: Big Timber Road, Bowes Road and Route 72.

“We continue to strike out,” said Elgin Deputy Police Chief Robert Beeter. “I find it hard to believe we can’t get them approved for Randall Road.”

Mayor Ed Schock also said he was “perplexed” by the county’s decision, issued late last year.

“I was surprised,” he said. “Randall Road is a very dangerous road. … There is not much we can say about it really. It is what it is.”

According to data provided to the county’s division of transportation, those three areas just aren’t dangerous enough.

Kurt Nika, KDOT’s chief of permitting, said only two motorists going southbound at Randall and Bowes ran the red light during an eight-hour, weekday test period and the intersection had zero crashes in the last four years directly caused by someone headed southbound running the light.

Randall and Big Timber had six southbound red-light violations in eight hours and one southbound crash in four years, Nika said.

In 2008, the state installed left-turn-only arrows at Randall and Route 72 and crashes dropped at what was once deemed the county’s most dangerous intersection.

Nika said the intersection had two southbound red-light violations in an eight-hour period and county officials didn’t have recent enough crash data to make an assessment since the new traffic signal was installed.

To contrast, the southbound lanes of Randall and Route 38 in St. Charles – where a red-light camera has been approved by the county – saw 130 violations in a 12-hour span and three crashes in the last four years caused by southbound motorists running red lights.

Nika noted there are no nationally recognized traffic standards when it comes to red light cameras.

“Local agencies like KDOT use engineering judgment to determine what’s appropriate,” he said. “We’re definitely willing to reconsider the (Elgin) matter in the future. What we need is updated data.”

While red-light cameras have popped up in numerous towns across the Fox Valley, five county intersections have received the thumbs up so far.

St. Charles has permission to install cameras at Kirk Road and Route 64, along with Randall and Route 38.

In Geneva, cameras have the go-ahead for Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road, along with two intersections along Randall at Williamsburg Avenue and Fargo Road.

The latter two are scheduled to become operational on Feb. 21, marking the first pair on county roads, Nika said.

The denial leaves Elgin with zero intersections nearly two years after inking a deal with the Arizona-based Redflex to install, monitor and maintain the cameras.

“We’ve identified them, but we’ve run into problems with the environment,” Beeter said.

In early 2008, city officials came up with a list of 13 possible intersections for Redflex to evaluate.

But in February 2009, city leaders said three intersections for cameras would not work for various reasons.

The city has intersection improvements planned for Dundee Avenue and Summit Street and didn’t want to install cameras only to remove them later.

Also, train-arm signals would have interfered with the red-light cameras at eastbound and westbound Big Timber Road and McLean Boulevard and westbound Kimball Street at State Street, or Route 31.

Schock said he still supports cameras where they can improve safety. He also noted that pedestrians are in the most danger of being struck by a motorist who fails to make a complete stop before turning right on a red light.

“If they prevent accidents and improve safety, I think they’re worth it,” he said.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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Dylan Petersen was arrested late Friday after police executed a search warrant at his home on the 400 block of South Street, recovering a handgun and ammunition, police said.

He was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a firearm by a street gang member and no valid Firearm Owner’s Identification.

Police said Petersen had opened fire Jan. 7 at a house on the near-east side. No one was hurt.

In addition to arresting Petersen, police cited four juveniles for underage drinking and located a juvenile runaway from Carpentersville while searching his home, Swoboda said.

Petersen, whose next court date is Feb. 23, was being held Monday in the Kane County jail on $200,000 bond.

He could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious offense.

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The free event will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the library, located at 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin.

The festival, which drew about 4,800 last year, celebrates the contribution of African-Americans to the history of music-from the freedom songs sung by enslaved Africans more than 300 years ago, to today’s R&B and hip-hop.

Festival activities include:

• Children’s activities and entertainment from KidWorks.
• An African drumming workshop for students in fifth grade and above.
• A hip-hop dancing workshop for middle and high school students.
• Performances by the Second Baptist Church of Elgin’s male chorus with a finale by The Moods.
• Soul food prepared by Elgin Community College Food Services.
• Prizes, giveaways and a commemorative booklet including a brief historical overview of African-American music compiled by Phyllis Folarin, Rise’ Jones and Lisa Summerour.

In addition, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock will read a proclamation declaring the first Saturday of February as Black History Family Festival Day.

For information about the festival or parking, contact the Gail Borden Public Library at (847) 429-4680 or visit gailborden.info or elgin.edu.

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Isaias Montes, 50, and Rutila Morales, 48, claim in a lawsuit filed in Cook County Court that Nicor Gas employees failed to ensure residents’ safety while they inspected and tested the house on the 700 block of Elma Avenue for a natural gas leak.

The ranch home exploded just after 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, causing a fire that destroyed the home.

The family is seeking more than $50,000 in damages from the utility company.

Montes and Morales were in the house at the time with their children, Caroline Montes, 23, and Christian Montes, 7, along with family friend Fabiola Martinez, 23.

The five were sent to area hospitals suffering injuries ranging from bruises to first- and second-degree burns. All have since been released.

In the three-page suit, the family claims Nicor workers were negligent when it failed to evacuate the home after the homeowners alerted Nicor of apparent gas bubbles emanating from the home’s paved driveway.

Upon inspecting and testing the ambient air in the basement, workers told the residents the house was safe and instructed them to stay in the basement with an open window, the suit says.

The suit says Nicor workers then began to dig into the driveway using powertools. That’s when the “low order explosion” occurred, “knocking the walls outward and causing the roof to pancake to the floor,” the complaint says.

The suit says Nicor workers failed to ensure the area was safe and failed to shut off the gas to the area before digging into the driveway.

“If only Nicor had turned off the gas to the area or had told the Moraleses to leave the house, the horrible injuries and damage to the house might have been avoided,” the family’s attorney, Francis Patrick Murphy, said in a news release.

“As a result of Nicor’s incompetence, there has been tremendous suffering and a wonderful family’s life has been changed forever.”

Richard Caragol, a Nicor spokesman, said he could not provide details regarding the lawsuit, but acknowledged the company had received notice of the suit.

The city of Elgin has yet to issue a cause of the explosion; officials say the investigation is ongoing.

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The Surface Transportation Board will survey all 33 suburbs along the rail line, now owned by the Canadian National Railway, to ask them whether they feel the CN is accurately and completely reporting problems along the line.

The chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, Daniel Elliott III , ordered the action after making two recent tours of the suburbs on the rail line with local officials.

The transportation board is sending out questionnaires to officials in the 33 communities in Illinois and Indiana affected by CN’s controversial acquisition last year of the 198-mile EJ&E line, which runs in an arc from Waukegan to Joliet to Gary.

The board is asking about train noise and vibration, train volumes and street blockages, vehicle delays and traffic congestion at selected rail/highway at-grade crossings, operational accidents, and identification signs at crossings.

– Richard Wronski

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Darris Hyte, 31, who last resided at 1209 Sairwood Dr., Elgin, was sentenced yesterday in Federal Court. Because he possessed a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, Hyte faced a mandatory minimum of five years up to life in federal prison under federal law.

Hyte was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Coar in U.S. District Court in Chicago on November 5, said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

According to court documents, on June 23, 2008, in Elgin, Hyte possessed 31.5 grams of crack cocaine, which he intended to distribute. Along with the crack cocaine, Hyte also had a loaded .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number.

Hyte admitted that he possessed the firearm in order to protect his distribution of crack cocaine. According to court filings, Hyte was considered a career offender under federal sentencing guidelines based on two prior drug trafficking convictions.

As a career offender, Hyte faced a heightened sentencing guideline range.

Hyte was indicted in October 2008 and pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense on June 11, 2009.

In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Judge Coar imposed a term of five years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Elgin Police Department and the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Initiative.

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, which initially brought charges, later referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Hauser.

MEDIA CONTACT:

United States Attorney’s Office, 312-353-5300
Northern District of Illinois

Elgin Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Possession of a Handgun and Crack Cocaine | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The Story

Shakespeare’s timeless story of fatal young love gets a new look with an all-female cast in Janus Theatre’s modern dress production. This fast-paced production promises to illuminate Shakespeare’s play in a whole new way.

The Cast & Crew

The play features Jen Short (Chicago) as Romeo, Audrey Flegel (Elgin native) as Juliet, Sarafina Vecchio (Elgin native) as Lord Capulet, Jacqueline Davies (Chicago) as Lady Capulet, Angela Bend (St. Charles) as Mercutio/Paris, Valerie Heckman (Elgin) as Benvolio, Patricia True (Oak Park) as the Nurse, Catie Early (East Dundee) as Tybalt, Diane McFarlin (Sugar Grove) as Friar Lawrence, Lori Holm (Batavia) as Escalus/Apothocary, and Bylthe Gilio (Carol Stream) as Balthasar/ensemble. The production will be directed by Sean Hargadon (Elgin), stage-managed by Kelly Herz (Wasco), with music design by Jimmy Lunstrom (Barrington), light design by Andy Murschel (Elgin), fight choreography by John Tovar (Elgin), and production assistance by Kate Collins (Elgin).

The Tickets

Romeo & Juliet will be performed at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, on the 8^th Floor of the Professional Building in downtown Elgin.

Performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm, Oct. 23 – Nov. 8.

Tickets are $15. Group rates are available. Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 847-841-1713.

For more information, please visit janustheatre.wordpress.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sean Hargadon, 847-363-3573
Producing Director
shargadon69@yahoo.com

Janus Theatre Presents an All-Female Adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” at the Elgin Art Showcase Oct. 23 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.