Elgin mayor's cars go missing; girl held
Elgin Mayor Ed Schock got a rude awakening Wednesday morning when he found two of his cars missing from his driveway.
As it turns out, one was moved and the other was taken by a troubled 19-year-old who was staying with Schock and his wife so she could graduate high school and get back on her feet, police said.
"The worst part about this isn't the cars. It's a setback for her," Schock said.
Danielle Hutton has been charged with criminal trespass to vehicle, a misdemeanor, said Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda.
She was being held on $100 bond Wednesday by Elgin police.
Both vehicles were recovered, one with no damage and the other with two flat tires, likely from a pothole, police said.
Hutton's motive for taking the car was not immediately clear; Schock said Wednesday night he had not spoken to her yet and wasn't going to post her bond, either.
Schock said his daughter, a teacher at Palatine High School, told him about a student who was having some problems and was essentially homeless after the 2006-07 school year.
Schock said he and his wife are empty-nesters and had room to take the teen in and help her get back on her feet.
They enrolled her at Elgin High School and she was on target to graduate this spring.
"She's a kid. She has to grow up. She has to be responsible for her actions. I'm not going to judge what she did," Schock said. "We (he and his wife) did what we did because we wanted to do it. We're disappointed. We'll be fine and I'm sure she'll be fine, too."
Elgin police were notified at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday that Schock's 2003 Jaguar X and 2007 Lincoln sedan were missing from the 300 block of Jefferson Avenue.
The Jaguar was found about a block away, apparently moved out of the way for the Lincoln.
Wednesday afternoon, police said they found the teen and car in Palatine.
Swoboda said Hutton might have hit a pothole that flattened the two tires on the driver's side of the Lincoln along Route 53 in Palatine.
She called a tow truck and put the tow truck driver in contact with the Lincoln's owner. Swoboda said those actions showed she didn't intend to steal the car.
The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail. Hutton's first court date was not immediately known.