Emergency funding keeps jail toilet flushing

The county's Law and Judicial Committee this week approved an emergency payment of $74,000 to cut down on mischief in the Lake County jail.

Sheriff's officials told the board that "Flood Buster" devices in the cells of the maximum security section of the jail have failed and needed replacement.

The devices automatically shut off water to the toilet in case of a clog and keep water from overflowing.

The need was urgent, the committee was told, because the units prevent inmates who are in maximum security for disciplinary problems from deliberately flooding their cells.

A flooded cell can cause massive headaches at the jail, the committee members said, because the water leaks into elevator shafts and wreaks havoc with electrical systems.

The devices installed in the toilets when the jail was built in the 1980s have failed 47 times, according to a report, and the company that manufactured them has gone out of business.

But the county's facilities staff was able to contract Diemer Plumbing and Excavating Ltd. of Antioch to come in and install new units.

Dealers care:

The Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center in Gurnee, formerly known as LaCasa, was the recent beneficiary of a $1,500 donation from the Chicagoland Automobile Trade Association.

The donation, made through the group's "Chicagoland Dealer's Care" program, came at the suggestion of Gurnee car dealer Saul Rosen.

The center offers comprehensive no-cost services to survivors of sexual assault, police training and group and individual counseling.

The organization also provides prevention education to thousands of area school children each year.

Officers honored:

Three Lake County probation officers were honored recently by the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association with the group's Distinguished Service Award.

Jamie Shatkus of Deerfield was recognized for her work with adult sex offenders and has been with the 19th Judicial Circuit since 2000.

Tamika Finch-Hall of Waukegan, a probation officer since 2006, received the award for her work in forming groups where offenders learn appropriate ways to respond to problems in their lives.

Jalonta Jackson of Park City won for her work with high-risk female offenders since becoming a probation officer in 2006.