DuPage County briefs
Crash injures Aurora man:
One person was injured Tuesday in a crash in West Chicago that closed Route 59 for more than four hours. Police said the accident occurred at 10:39 a.m. at the intersection of Route 59 and Garys Mill Road. Police said James Beutjer, 30, of Aurora, was turning from westbound Garys Mill on to Route 59 when he was struck by a northbound truck driven by Javier Hernandez of Blue Island. Beutjer was taken to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield with serious injuries; Hernandez was not injured. Police said Beautjer was not wearing his seat belt. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and police had issued no citations as of Tuesday.
Town hall meeting slated:
The three DuPage County Board members from District 5 are sponsoring a town hall meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St. The gathering will allow board members James Healy, Tony Michelassi and John Zediker to inform residents about issues and initiatives and to answer questions. District 5 includes all or parts of Aurora, Naperville, Lisle and Warrenville.
Dist. 203 picks principals:
Beebe Elementary School Principal Robyn Rippel will transfer to the helm of River Woods Elementary this fall to fill the vacancy left by the death of former Principal Laura Peterson. Both schools are in Naperville Unit District 203. Elizabeth Martinez has been appointed principal of Beebe. Martinez formerly served as director of student learning and professional development at Prince William County Schools in Virginia but is originally from the Chicago suburbs.
Prostitution sting nets nine:
Aurora police arrested nine men in an undercover prostitution sting last week. They were all charged with solicitation of a sexual act for allegedly offering an undercover female Aurora police officer money in exchange for sexual favors. The operation, which took place May 21, was the first in what police say will be regular operations aimed at curbing street level prostitution complaints that typically increase as the summer months approach. Those charged with solicitation are: Orlando Ross, 42, of the 400 block of Crescent Street, Wheaton; Alfonso Gonzalez, 48, of the 100 block of East Galena Road, West Chicago; and seven Aurora men: Jamie A. Hernandez, 30, of the 0-99 block of South Lincoln Avenue; Nazario Fores, 22, of the 0-99 block of North Anderson Street; Alejandro Medina-Alvarado, 39, of the 300 block of Marion Avenue; Luis Barraza, 43, of the 300 block of Jefferson Street; Paul F. Young, 84, of the 600 block of Hamilton Street; Jeronimo Contreras, 30, of the 1400 block of Wermes Street; and Juan Cirilo, 19, of the 2700 block of Village Green Drive.
In addition, Ross was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police hunting for thief:
Aurora police are searching for a woman who is believed to have stolen $75 worth of liquor and injured a grocery store employee. The incident took place at 6:25 p.m. May 1 at Dominick's, 3025 E. New York St. When confronted by a 61-year-old store employee, the woman allegedly shoved him and caused him to fall on his shoulder causing serious injury. The woman then entered her vehicle and took off westbound through the parking lot. The suspect is a black female, 5 feet 10 inches, 165 pounds, with long, braided, black hair, police say. She was driving an SUV that was maroon on the top and tan on the bottom that appears as though it may be a Mitsubishi with "H 2" as possibly the first two characters on the license plates. Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora police at (630) 801-6655 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000.
Aurora targets speeders:
Three recent traffic enforcement operations in Aurora resulted in 109 citations, 41 warning tickets and nine verbal warnings. The majority of the citations were for speeding. The operations were aimed at reducing traffic crashes by 3 percent this year. Traffic crashes citywide are down by 18.1 percent as of May 16. Police also have targeted a 3 percent reduction goal in major crime this year. Through May 12, murder, robbery, criminal sexual assault, aggravated assault/battery, arson, theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, the categories that make up major crimes, are down 12.1 percent.