Need cash? Report a drunken driver

An area anti-drunken driving group is reminding residents to always be on the lookout for impaired drivers, not just during a holiday weekend.

The Drunkbuster program, started by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists in 1990, gives $100 to tipsters whose calls about erratic driving lead to a DUI arrest.

The program is in effect year-round in Kane, McHenry, Lake, Will, DuPage and Grundy counties, and statewide during holidays, according to AAIM's website.

So far, more than $486,000 has been awarded as 4,866 impaired drivers have been arrested.

"Memorial Day holiday kicks off the start of the summer, which means picnics, parties with friends and family and many backyard barbecues, which often include alcohol," the Schaumburg-based group said a news release. "All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to a careless disregard for human life."

In order to collect, the tipster must call police after the arrest and the police will fill out a verification form and send it to AAIM.

Utility scam warning: St. Charles police are warning residents of a potential utility bill scam.

A business owner told police a man claiming to be from the St. Charles electric utility recently contacted him and said his power bill was overdue and he owed $800.

The business owner became suspicious when the man asked for a credit card number over the phone and also provided a reference number to make the scam appear legitimate. The business owner's caller ID also showed the call originated from a Richmond, Virginia, area code. No money changed hands, police said.

This was the second attempted utility scam reported to police in recent weeks.

The city of St. Charles does not contact customers via phone and doesn't allow for credit card payments over the phone, police said.

Probation in child porn case: A 30-year-old Aurora man who was charged in October 2010 - along with his father - on child pornography charges recently pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to court records.

Joel R. Babicki faced up to seven years in prison if convicted of aggravated child pornography possession, a felony.

Kane County Judge Karen Simpson accepted a plea agreement in which Babicki pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of possession of obscene material with intent to disseminate it, a misdemeanor.

Babicki also must pay $2,140 in fines.

The sentence is the same as the one issued to Thomas Babicki, 59, who pleaded guilty in February.

hhitzeman@dailyherald.com