Former Woodstock streets employee gets diversion program for rock salt theft
A former Woodstock street superintendent accused of stealing a ton of rock salt in January has entered a court program for first-time, nonviolent felony offenders.
Dale A. Behm, 57, of the 10700 block of Pleasant Lane, Woodstock, was charged with felony theft in February.
Behm was accused of stealing the salt and two snowplow skid plates on or about Jan. 1, 2014, according to court records.
He recently was admitted into the county's one-year pretrial diversion program, in which defendants admit to an offense but can have felony charges dismissed if they can stay out of trouble for a year and adhere to other conditions.
Judge Sharon Prather entered Behm into the program, in which he must pass drug tests, perform 100 hours of community service and pay $850 in court costs and $164.25 in restitution, records show.
Behm, who drew a salary of more than $84,000 a year and worked for the city since 1978, was fired in March.
A message left for Rebecca Lee, Behm's attorney, was not returned.
Cremation lawsuit continues: A Kane County judge recently declined to issue a summary judgment in a lawsuit filed against an Elgin funeral home by a man who says his wife was wrongly cremated in late 2010.
Judge Edward Schreiber denied motions to decide on the case before it goes to a full-blown trial, and the case was continued to Aug. 6, according to court records.
Timothy Cahill, an over-the-road trucker, sued in 2011. He is seeking damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress from Laird and Twin Pines Crematory.
He argues the body of his wife, Helen, 64, was wrongly cremated after she was struck and killed Nov. 22, 2010, on McLean Boulevard in Elgin. Cahill was in Iowa when his wife died and says she wanted to be buried next to her mother at a cemetery in Tennessee.
Citizen police academy nears: The Aurora Police Department is accepting applications for the fall session of its citizens police academy, which runs for 10 consecutive Thursdays beginning Aug. 28.
The academy, now in its 20th year, allows residents and business owners to learn how the department operates. Topics covered include: the difference between criminal, juvenile and civil law; gangs; drugs; building searches; crime scene processing; and traffic stops.
The academy is free and meets 6 to 9 p.m. at the department, 1200 E. Indian Trail. The deadline to register is Aug. 21. Participants must be 21 or older and live or work in Aurora or own property within city limits.
Call (630) 256-5342 or visit aurora-il.org for more information.
hhitzeman@dailyherald.