Articles filed under Hitzeman, Harry

• McHenry County man wins appeal, gets reduced sentence Jan 14, 2013 12:00 AM
  A McHenry County man convicted of residential burglary for stealing copper piping from a vacant Woodstock home will have his prison sentence reduced after an appellate court ruled that because the home was vacant, and its owners living out of state while trying to sell it, it does not qualify as a residence under state law. Brett A. Roberts, 38, instead will be resentenced to a lesser charge of burglary.
  

   

• Attorneys help Geneva first responders prepare for the worst Jan 13, 2013 12:00 AM
  An organization that helps first responders such as police officers and firefighters prepare living wills and estate planning hopes to hold another event this year in the Kane County area. About 50 to 60 attorneys volunteered their time recently in Geneva as part of the Wills for Heroes Foundation to provide police officers and firefighters with free legal services to prepare living wills and other estate preparations in case they are incapactitated or killed in the line of duty.
  

   

• Congrats to Aurora on murder-free milestone Jan 6, 2013 12:00 AM
  If no news is good news, then this is great news. Aurora, the state's second largest city, marked a milestone last week: the city went an entire calendar year without a murder for the first time since 1946, when its population was just 48,000.
  

   

• 22 years for gang member in Labor Day 2011 Aurora shootings Dec 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  An Aurora man who shot at supposed gang rivals in two separate attacks during Labor Day weekend in 2011 recently was sentenced to 22 years in prison.Kane County Judge David Akemann issued the prison term to Alejandro Rodriguez, 21, of the 1300 block of Indian Avenue, last week.
  

   

• Elgin drunken driver gets 5 years Dec 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  A repeat drunken driver from Elgin who authorities said was driving with a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit recently was sentenced to five years in prison by a Kane County judge. Holly M. Deihs, 34, of the 500 block of South State Street, was sentenced by Judge Marmarie Kostelny after pleading guilty to a fourth DUI, according to court records.
  

   

• CASA Kane County nears end of $1M endowment quest Dec 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  CASA Kane County is going down to the wire in its mission to raise $1 million for an endowment, and in the process secure $500,000 from a St. Charles grant. CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, still needs about $240,000 to hit its goal, said Executive Director Gloria Bunce.
  

   

• North Aurora cop honored for saving man from jumping onto interstate Dec 2, 2012 12:00 AM
  A seven-year veteran of the North Aurora Police Department will be honored Monday for helping save the life of a man in August who threatened to jump off the Randall Road bridge over Interstate 88. Officer Mark Shillair, 33, will receive the department's Lifesaving Medal at the village board meeting.
  

   

• FBI warns of Cyber Monday scams Nov 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Authorities warn online shoppers to take extra precaution today, Cyber Monday, as well as the rest of the holiday season, to avoid being scammed. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center offers several tips on how to protect yourself. The top piece of advice is pretty timeless: If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.
  

   

• Going out Wednesday? Get a cab, designated driver Nov 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you plan to throw back a few cold ones this Wednesday, you might want to call a cab or have another option to get home besides driving yourself. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office will hold a “No Refusal” event Wednesday night, the first time the office has held an operation the day before Thanksgiving, which is considered one of the biggest party days of the year.
  

   

• Kane drug court has ‘write’ idea Nov 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  Recovering addicts in Kane County’s Drug Rehabilitation Court will get a chance to show artwork and essays they have created and completed in the 2nd annual Fine Art and Writing Show this week. Scheduled from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first-floor jury room at the Kane County Judicial Center, the show provides a venue for participant and recent graduates in drug court to display their art, writing and poems.
  

   

• Prosecutors ready to investigate claims, if necessary Nov 4, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you plan to go to the polls Tuesday, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office will be staffing a hotline for people to report voter fraud and other violations of electioneering. The complaint hotline at (630) 208-5328 will be staffed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and it is for voters who might see or experience voting problems or irregularities at any of the county’s 228 precincts.
  

   

• Bar association provides guidance for Kane judge options Oct 28, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois State Bar Association has offered some guidance to help voters sort out who should retain seats on the Kane County bench on Nov. 6. The group sends out ballots to lawyers and asks them for opinions on a range of qualifications, such as integrity, meeting the requirements of office, impartiality, legal ability, temperament, court management, health and sensitivity.
  

   

• Aurora detectives honored for work that set innocent man free Oct 21, 2012 12:00 AM
  Two veteran Aurora Police Department detectives have received national and state honors for leading an investigation that ultimately resulted in a former Aurora man being freed from prison and his murder conviction thrown out. Aurora investigators John Munn and Darrell Moore recently were recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Public Defenders Association for their work stemming from the slaying of 20-year-old Montgomery resident Shawn Miller.
  

   

• Incarcerated man wants to change guilty plea Oct 7, 2012 12:00 AM
  A 51-year-old man who was sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing his co-worker in a Batavia parking lot has changed his mind about his guilty plea. Calvin M. Hayes, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in September to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, but now wants a hearing to withdraw his plea and vacate his sentence.
  

   

• Courthouse bad place for a purse theft Sep 30, 2012 12:00 AM
  A 42-year-old Woodstock woman on probation for felony drug possession apparently picked the wrong place to steal a purse: the McHenry County courthouse. Teriesa Greene, of the 300 block of Dean Street, was charged with misdemeanor theft Sept. 21, according to McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s office.
  

   

• Policemen awarded for saving three lives Sep 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  North Aurora police officers will be recognized Monday for saving three people in 2011. Officers Mike Quinn, Randy Voss and Ryan McKiness each will receive the Lifesaving Award from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police at the North Aurora village board meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at village hall, 25 E. State St.
  

   

• Cab robbery costs Elgin man 29 years Sep 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  The lure of some quick cash has turned into a long prison sentence for an Elgin man. Aaron A. McGee, 22, of the 400 block of Belmont Street, recently was sentenced to 29 years in prison after being convicted of robbing a cabdriver at gunpoint.
  

   

• Different tack taken in heroin death appeal Sep 2, 2012 12:00 AM
  A 29-year-old Wauconda woman successfully appealed her drug-induced homicide conviction earlier this year, was awarded a new trial and had her 10-year sentence thrown out. Amanda Coots pleaded guilty last month to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Rustin A. Cawthon and was sentenced to a little more than 7 years in prison.
  

   

• Elgin man who can’t hear or speak unfit for trial Aug 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  A 33-year-old Elgin man, who can neither hear, speak nor sign, recently was ruled unfit to stand trial on charges that he attacked a woman near an Elgin bike path this past spring. Miguel Gonzalez-Moreno, of the 400 block of Lawrence Avenue, has been placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services and authorities have a year to help him understand the legal process and communicate with his attorney.
  

   

• Technicality gives convicted Elgin drug dealer a breakAug 13, 2012 12:00 AM
  An Elgin man convicted in summer 2010 of selling cocaine near a church could have his sentence reduced after successfully appealing the most serious charges in his case.