Man pleads not guilty to disorderly conduct

A Gurnee man pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of disorderly conduct stemming from what authorities said were his attempts to talk to boys at a school bus stop.

Edmund K. Conarchy, 40, of 7496 Bittersweet Drive, entered the not-guilty pleas on the charges at his arraignment in Lake County Circuit Court. A pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 14.

Gurnee police said the incidents occurred June 10 and 12 near the bus stop at Abbey Road and Aster Drive, just blocks from Conarchy's house in the Bittersweet Woods subdivision on the village's west side. Authorities said the boys ranged from ages 11 to 13.

Conarchy's defense attorney, Charles Smith of Waukegan, said the accusations are the result of a misunderstanding, and he's confident his client will be cleared.

"I'm viewing (the accusations) as an overreaction to my client saying hello to some children in his neighborhood," Smith said.

Police said four boys were at the bus stop at 7:55 a.m. June 10 when Conarchy drove up in his 2006 Hummer H3 and reportedly asked them when the last day of school was scheduled. The boys told their parents and provided a vehicle description for a police report.

An officer stationed near Abbey and Aster about 7:30 a.m. June 12 observed Conarchy's Hummer veer to the wrong side of the street where a boy stood at the bus stop, according to reports.

Police said the cop stopped Conarchy after the boy fled. Conarchy didn't speak to the boy, police said, but he was informed his actions were "upsetting and alarming" to children and their parents. He was then allowed to leave.

Smith said it's a "mystery" how charges were leveled against Conarchy after Police Chief Robert Jones wrote a June 12 letter to residents explaining the Hummer driver doesn't have a criminal history and did not break the law in the bus stop incidents.