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Hitzeman: Carpentersville SUV ramming case set for trial

A Chicago woman accused of running down two teens in Carpentersville with her sport utility vehicle last year because they were bullying her nephew is scheduled for trial Oct. 20.

Angelique D. Branch, 35, of the 9400 block of South Champlain Avenue, faces felony charges of leaving the scene of a crash, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery in a public place.

She faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Branch, who is free on bond, appeared in Kane County court last week when Judge Clint Hull set her jury trial date.

Carpentersville police say Branch purposefully hit the teens, ages 15 and 16, at about 3:40 p.m. March 11, 2013, on the 0-99 block of Oxford Drive in the Foxview apartment complex. One of the boys suffered a lacerated spleen, according to court records.

Police said the teens were bullying Branch's nephew.

Defense attorney Steven Goldman, who did not return a phone message, has said his client didn't know she hit anyone and didn't know anyone was injured until authorities issued a warrant for her arrest.

Angelique Branch is not related to a Timera Branch, a Streamwood woman who was sentenced to 34 years in prison for using her car in November 2009 to ram and kill teen who was bullying her son. John W. Keyes III, 17, of Elgin had fought with Timera Branch's son the night before he was killed.

Grab a bite, help police dogs: The Citizens Police Academy of Aurora, a group which supports police, will host its second annual drive-through dinner Aug. 26 at the police department, 1200 E. Indian Trail Road, to raise money for Aurora police dogs.

The dinner is 4:30 to 7 p.m. and costs $12 in advance or $13 the day of the event.

Reuland's Food Service will be cooking chicken, pork chops, prime rib sandwiches and side dishes such as coleslaw, apple sauce and baked beans.

For information or tickets, call (630) 896-2116 or email BohmanD@gmail.com.

Tips, time add up: Aurora Police officers and support personnel helped raise $2,800 for Special Olympics Illinois Aug. 6 when they volunteered to wait tables at Buffalo Wild Wings on Orchard Road. The restaurant also donated 10 percent of sales proceeds from 5 to 9 p.m. that night, bringing the total raised to $14,000 for the organization this year.

Congratulations: The St. Charles Police Department recently earned its eighth award of National Accreditation at a conference in Schaumburg. The department was first accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 1989. The latest accreditation lasts three years.

hhitzeman@dailyherald.com

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