News Briefs: Bond lowered for teen
Bond lowered for teen:
Bond was reduced by half Thursday for a Franklin Park man charged with aggravated battery in a stabbing at an Arlington Heights condo complex last month. Michal Blonski, 18, now must post $5,000 to get out of jail, instead of $10,000. The change was made during a brief appearance before Cook County Judge Joseph Urso. Blonski's lawyer had requested a lower bail, saying his client, who works in construction and is a part-time college student, had no prior convictions and is charged with a crime that doesn't necessarily carry a jail term. Prosecutors say Blonski stabbed 19-year-old Artur Kulik multiple times with a knife and caused notable internal damage. The stabbing followed an argument between the two, authorities have said. Blonski's attorney said both boys were "highly intoxicated" at the time. Blonski's next court date is Aug. 20 in Rolling Meadows.
Indiana woman convicted:
An Indiana woman has been convicted in the 2005 murder of a Northwest suburban man, authorities said. Bianca Newgent of Rochester, Ind., was found guilty of murder, criminal confinement and assisting a criminal. She was convicted this week in Fulton County court, nearly two years after authorities said she helped another man kill Mustansar Chaudhry and stuff his beaten, bound and strangled body into a water softener salt drum, the Rochester Sentinel newspaper reported. Chaudhry owned the Rosedale Motel in Rochester. The man charged in the murder, Mark Baker of Rochester, managed the motel, the Sentinel reported, and had argued with Chaudhry before the murder. Baker has not yet faced trial. Newgent will be sentenced Aug. 24. Chaudhry's wife, who still lives in the Chicago area, said she was pleased with the verdict, which followed a weeklong trial. But "nothing is going to bring him back," she said of her husband.
Teen charged with ID theft:
Bond was set at $10,000 Thursday for a Hanover Park woman who prosecutors say charged more than $600 on a credit card she took from an elderly woman. Nancy Arriaga, 19, faces one charge of aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the credit card belonged to an 88-year-old woman from The Devonshire of Hoffman Estates, a senior living facility at which Arriaga worked. The woman's daughter called police after noticing the unauthorized charges, prosecutors said. They also said video surveillance of some of Arriaga's credit card transactions showed her -- still in her Devonshire attire -- making the purchases. Arriaga was arrested Wednesday. Her next court date is Aug. 31 in Rolling Meadows.
Sieben won't run again:
State Sen. Todd Sieben has announced he will not run for re-election next year so he can spend more time with his family. Sieben, 62, said the decision wasn't an easy one, but he wanted to give potential candidates time to gather signatures for February's primary. "I've had a good experience, a good run for 21 years, and I think it's time now to let the voters in northwestern Illinois pick somebody else to represent them," the Republican from Geneseo said Wednesday. The state budget impasse that's kept him in Springfield for much of this summer cut into time with his family, he said. He recently had to cancel a fishing trip with his 8-year-old grandson. Sieben was elected to the state Senate in 1992 after serving three terms in the House. He said he plans to finish his term, which ends in January 2009. He represents the 45th District, which includes parts of eight northwestern counties: Henry, Whiteside, Carroll, Lee, Ogle, Jo Davies, Stephenson and Winnebago.