Dawn Patrol: Carjacking suspect possibly eluded Libertyville police
Did police nearly have carjacking suspect?
Libertyville police say they are investigating whether they nearly had carjacking suspect Rockie Lee Douglas less than 24 hours after he is alleged to have stolen three cars in the Chicago area and caused a crash that led to a boy’s death. Police Lt. William Kinast said his agency is investigating whether Douglas was behind the wheel of the same Caravan that officers approached about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 21 on the 900 block of East Park Avenue. “Upon trying to question him, the car took off,” Kinast said. Douglas, 34, of Beach Park, was being held without bond in the Milwaukee County jail. Full story.
Car fire spreads to Inverness home
An Inverness home is temporarily uninhabitable after an SUV that was on fire crashed into it Thursday night and caused flames to spread. The car was traveling on the 200 block of Bradwell Road about 7 p.m. when the driver lost control and crashed into the 2-story single family home. The car fire was fueled by a broken gas line, and when the car crashed into the building, the broken line continued “feeding flames into the house,” said Capt. Jeff Dill of the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District. “It was pretty chaotic,” he said. Full story.
Weather
Temperatures will warm up today with highs in the upper 30s or close to 40 degrees. The day is expected to be sunny and breezy. The warm up will continue into Saturday with highs in the low 40s. Full forecast.
Traffic
All major roadways are clear on Friday morning with no accidents to report. Traffic is light with many people still off for the holidays.
Fire victim ‘came back to save the couple’
Allen Belaguas had been saving for nursing school, working as an in-home caregiver for several months, but only in the home of Jan and Tom Lambert of Naperville for about a week when fire broke out. The couple never made it out of the house, but by all accounts, Belaguas, the 21-year-old man hired to care for them, did everything he could to try to save them. “They said my son was doing his job,” Belaguas’ mother, Zeta Pierson, said as Allen underwent surgery Thursday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. “He went out (of the house) already but he came back to save the couple.” Full story.
Foul play not suspected in forest preserve death
Authorities say foul play is not suspected in the death of a 37-year-old Wauconda man whose body was found in a forest preserve near Barrington Hills on Christmas Day. However, the exact cause and manner of his death remain undetermined pending the results of toxicology tests at the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The man had been reporting missing after last being seen Monday at a Carpentersville bar. Full story.
Sprinkler system puts out Glendale Hts. fire
An apartment sprinkler system extinguished a cooking fire Thursday afternoon in Glendale Heights and likely helped save two dogs, authorities said. Firefighters were called to a three-story apartment building on the 1800 block of Somerset Drive at 3:05 p.m. Full story.
Stevenson mourns veteran math teacher
A Stevenson High School mathematics teacher is being remembered by her students and colleagues for the positive impact she had on the school community. Mary Layco, who taught mathematics at Stevenson for more than 35 years, died Thursday — 10 days after becoming ill during one of her classes. “I think it’s telling that Mary could have retired years ago, but loved teaching our students so much that she chose to remain with us. Mary Layco was a gift to Stevenson High School, and we are fortunate to have had her with us,” District 125 Superintendent Eric Twadell said in a message to Stevenson families. Full story.
Ex-pro wrestler to open sports bar in Elgin
The former Streets of Chicago in Elgin is set to reopen as D Hangout Bar and Grill next week, but plans for a piano bar in the lower level are still up in the air. Owner Mike Deol, 44, is a former professional wrestler whose ring name was Killer Khalsa Sing. Full story.
Carpentersville picks volunteer of year
For nearly 20 years, Ken Pozehl has helped paint the homes of seniors and veterans to making sure needy kids have a Christmas gift. And what does he ask in return? “All we want out of this is a smile. Make them happy for a day and you’d be surprised,” said Pozehl, a maintenance mechanic at a Carpentersville chemical plant. For his efforts, Pozehl was named Carpentersville’s volunteer of the year. Full story.
No win for NIU, no milestone for Lynch
This wasn’t how Jordan Lynch’s last college game was supposed to go. Utah State beat No. 24 Northern Illinois 21-14 on Thursday night in the Poinsettia Bowl and prevented Lynch from becoming the first major college player to rush for 2,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. Full story.