St. Charles man's electrocution ruled an accident

The electrocution of a St. Charles man whose body was found on a high-voltage transformer was ruled accidental Wednesday by a Kane County coroner's jury.

Robert J. Paluch, 30, was severely burned and entangled in wires when he was discovered shortly after 2 p.m. April 13 lying facedown on the 4,160-volt switch, investigators testified.

Several "burglary tools" were found nearby, indicating Paluch planned to steal copper wire and other materials that could be sold as scrap when he scaled the machinery, which stood about 10 feet tall, St. Charles police Detective Andrew Lamela testified. Traces of heroin also turned up in his system, authorities said.

The death happened on the 300 block of North Sixth Street in St. Charles at a former industrial plant known as Applied Composites. The facility is no longer in operation but maintains electricity.

"He must have thought the electrical was turned off," Lamela said.

A known heroin addict, Paluch lived on the 1300 block of Lancaster Avenue in St. Charles but stayed at times with a girlfriend on Chicago's south side, Lamela told jurors. He was born in Naperville and, after graduating high school, went to work in the painting industry, Coroner Chuck West said.

At the time of his death, Paluch had recently been paroled from state prison where he was serving time for a previous burglary conviction, Lamela said. Relatives told police he was expected to attend a birthday party that night in Chicago.

Paluch had no form of identification on him when an officer spotted his body on a routine patrol. Lamela said Paluch had severe burns to both hands and one leg. A jumpsuit he wore had been burned off, Lamela said.

Paluch was pronounced dead at 4:21 p.m. at Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva. Authorities later identified him using dental and vehicle records.