Police to discuss recent gang activity in LITH
A spate of gang-related arrests in Lake in the Hills this month has prompted police to call a meeting with affected residents next week, Deputy Chief Mary Frake said Thursday.
It marks the first time in recent memory Lake in the Hills police have organized a neighborhood meeting to discuss gang issues, she said.
Wednesday night, police arrested four young Lake in the Hills men for their role in a gang-related fight July 3 in the 100 block of Pheasant Trail, she said.
Mazin Awwad, 17, of the 100 block of Pheasant Trail, and Jonathan M. Rodriguez, 18, of the 100 block of Village Creek Drive, are charged with aggravated battery and mob action, both felonies.
Rodriguez faces an additional misdemeanor charge of unlawful contact with street gang members.
Both, admitted gang members according to police, remained at the McHenry County jail on $40,000 bond. They are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 9.
Police also took into custody a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy for aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful contact with street gang members. Frake said the juveniles are not gang members, but frequently associate with them. They were transported to the Kane County Juvenile Correction Facility.
According to police, the group kicked and punched a 17-year-old male from a rival gang in the 100 block of Pheasant Trail. He sustained a bruised and bloody nose, but did not require medical attention, Frake said.
"We're not going to tolerate it and I cannot stress that enough," she said. "Every effort will be made to ensure this will not exist in our community."
Last Thursday, police arrested Kyle R. Hayes, 19, of the 1300 block of Cunat Court in Lake in the Hills for mob action, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and street gang activity for his part in a July 19 gang-related brawl in the 100 block of Pheasant Trail, Frake said.
At the meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Safety Education Center, 1109 Crystal Lake Road, police will answer residents' questions and discuss what they're doing to curb gang activity in the town.