Oswego girl, 5, drowns in pool
A 5-year-old girl drowned Saturday night while surrounded by relatives at a gathering in southwest suburban Orland Park. Stephanie Harrison, 5, of 53 Anchor Dr. in Oswego, was pronounced dead at 7:55 p.m. Saturday at Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Bristol cyclist killed in Kendall
A Bristol woman was injured and her mother killed Sunday morning after they were hit by a pick-up truck while riding bikes on Kennedy Road, according to Yorkville officials.

Aurora fire victim dies
Update: A 78-year-old Aurora man injured in a Sunday morning fire has died. A 59-year-old woman also injured in the blaze is still hospitalized in good condition after suffering smoke inhalation. The man sustained second and third degree burns as well as smoke inhalation.

Police Blotter
MONTGOMERY-- Police are looking for a group of people who stole "a large amount" of cigarettes from a warehouse early Sunday.

Assessing Operation First Degree Burn
Two years ago, Aurora police and Kane County prosecutors charged 31 gang members with participating in the murder of 22 people over two decades. When the indictments were announced June 29, 2007, Operation First Degree Burn marked an unprecedented sweep for a local jurisdiction.

After river search, crews find man asleep
Authorities found an Aurora man — wanted in a series of warrants — sleeping on the bank of the Fox River near Montgomery on Friday following a lengthy river rescue search.

Passenger flees, but is caught; faces six felony counts
A North Carolina man was arrested this week in Oswego Township for obstruction of justice and illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, the Kendall County sheriff's office said.

Blotter: Car burglars steal guard gear, uniform
Someone broke into three vehicles, stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise and causing hundreds of dollars in damage sometime between 3 and 11 a.m. Friday on the 100 block of Woodlawn Avenue, Aurora police said.

Coke, marijuana seized in four busts
Several Aurora residents are under arrest after four drug busts conducted by the Kane County Sheriff's Department over the past few weeks. The operations were done primarily in conjunction with the West Aurora Weed and Seed Program and led to significant seizures of cocaine and marijuana, the sheriff's office said Thursday.

Mom charged with abducting daughter
A woman has been charged with kidnapping her 3-year-old daughter from Plano Wednesday night, setting off a statewide search for the girl. Rheannon Jerman was found safe with her mother in an apartment on Chicago’s West Side Thursday morning, not long after an Amber Alert was issued by Illinois State Police.

Police looking for man who tried to grab child
St. Charles police are looking for a man who apparently tried to grab a 9-year-old girl in the 1200 block of Quarterhorse Court last week. The suspect, described as a clean-shaven white male in his mid 20s wearing all black clothing, told the girl to come with him because he had a "treat" for her. When she said no, the man started to reach for her, causing the girl to run into a nearby home. The incident occurred between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m. on June 25.

Cops look for checkbook-swiping woman
Aurora and Oswego police are seeking information about a woman who is apparently swiping checkbooks from area women, then cashing checks at local banks. On Wednesday, Aurora police released a photo of the suspect, which was captured as she was cashing a check in an Oswego bank. The suspect appears to be black, about 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds, police said.

Kendall County woman charged in knife attack
A 40-year-old woman Kendall County woman was charged with stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife Tuesday morning.

Oswego man jailed in Internet sex case
An unemployed Oswego man was in Will County Jail Wednesday night on charges of trying to arrange a sexual rendezvous with a teenage girl who turned out to be an undercover Naperville police detective. Larry A. Larson remained in jail after his bail was set at $60,000 Wednesday by a Will County Circuit Court judge.

Auroran charged with flashing gun in traffic dispute
A 62-year-old Aurora man faces a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after he allegedly twice pointed a gun at another driver Thursday night because he was apparently angry about how the person was driving.

Man charged in Web porn sting
An Oswego man is facing felony charges after he sent pornographic videos to a police officer he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

11 charged in noise crackdown
Eleven motorists were ticketed for driving with loud stereos after getting nabbed in "Operation Thump Shaker," an undercover operation staged by Aurora police. All 11 drivers were issued tickets for at least $75, because their stereos could be heard from 75 feet away, police said.

Two injured in Yorkville crash
Update: Two accidents ocurred along Route 34 in the Fox Valley Wednesday afternoon with one of the crashes resulting in injuries to two Yorkville men.

Neighbor charged with theft of Batavia cat
A 55-year-old Batavia woman has been charged with misdemeanor theft of her neighbor's cat, the Batavia Police Department stated in a press release. Linus, a 9-year-old feline, went missing from Jody Lay's home on May 28.

Six face felony charge for Marmion prank
Six Marmion Academy students face felony charges after they caused $2,000 damage to the Aurora school during a senior prank.

Dog snatching sandwich leads to felony charges
Christopher Stribling, 30, of the 1200 block of Solfisburg Avenue, Aurora, was charged with felony aggravated battery as well as misdemeanor domestic battery and possession of marijuana after police were called to his home at 9 p.m. Monday, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said.

Aurora cop shoots, kills charging pit bull
An Aurora police officer shot and killed a pit bull Monday morning after it attacked a teen, another dog and finally charged the officer. According to Aurora Sgt. Marie Blincoe, police were called 7:04 a.m. for a report of a 13-year-old girl who had been bitten by a pit bull that was loose in 400 block of Jackson Street.

Pizza delivery woman's killer gets 81 years in prison
A Sandwich resident was sentenced to 81 years in prison Monday in the 2006 murder of a St. Charles pizza delivery woman. Bradley M. Justice, 31, was sentenced by DuPage County Judge Peter Dockery on charges of first degree murder and armed robbery. Justice pleaded guilty to the charges on April 16.

Aurora cops looking for info on bar fight
Aurora police are looking for more information on a beating that occurred inside a nightclub in the 0-99 block of South Broadway at 1:20 a.m. Saturday.

Oswego man eligible for life in prison
A federal jury has found that a 33-year-old Oswego man did pull the trigger in a Mother's Day 2003 shooting, making him eligible for a life sentence. Late Monday afternoon, a jury decided that prosecutors had proved that Steven Perez was the shooter in the Mother's Day shooting that injured one man. The jury also ruled that Perez was involved in the January 2002 attempted murder of two men.

Six gold bars among $95,000 taken in West Side burglary
Sometime between 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday, $95,100 worth of valuables were taken from an Aurora home.

Man rescued from Fox River
Aurora police and fire rescue teams responded to a water rescue call at 8:29 a.m. Saturday at North Avenue and the Fox River where a man had reportedly jumped into the water. Fire officials said the victim was quickly plucked out and placed on a boat before being transported to an area hospital for treatment. His identity was not released.

Teacher drowns, 2 others OK
The daughter and niece of two west suburban fire officials is recuperating this weekend, following a rafting accident on the Vermilion River that claimed the life of a friend and fellow teacher.

DeKalb man dies in Plank Road crash
Speed may have been a factor in a single-car crash early Saturday in an unincorporated area near Burlington that left a DeKalb man dead.

Teen charged in restaurant shooting
A 19-year-old man has been charged in a June 14 shooting at an Aurora restaurant, police said Friday.

Aurora man shot to death sitting on porch
A 38-year-old Aurora man was shot to death and two others where injured by gunfire late Wednesday as they sat on a porch of a home on the city's near East Side.

14th conviction in federal Deuces case
In April 2005, federal prosecutors charged 16 members of Aurora's Insane Deuces gang with racketeering. It was an unusual show of force by the U.S. Attorney's Office, which rarely gets involved in local gang trials. Racketeering charges were used to prosecute the Mafia, not thugs.

Man gets 29 years in St. Charles murder
Arthur Manning was sentenced Thursday to 29 years in prison for the September 2008 stabbing death of Naromi Mannery, a St. Charles carnival worker. Judge Timothy Q. Sheldon, in handing out the maximum sentence available, said while the 58-year-old Manning expressed remorse for the murder, he failed to understand he was responsible for elevating a fight between himself and victim Naromi Mannery into murder.

Missing Aurora girls found safe
Two teenage girls who have been missing since June 18 have been found unharmed, police said Friday morning. Ziomara Gutierrez, 16, of Aurora, and Natasha Gonzales, 15, of Rockford, a former Aurora resident, were reported missing Monday after failing to return from a June 18 trip to Chicago, according to an alert from Aurora police.

Jury begins deliberations in federal gang trial
Steven Perez sat across from the jury Thursday morning, wearing a short-sleeved red shirt and a blank expression. Despite his disinterested appearance, Perez, 33, of Oswego, must be aware the stakes are high if he is convicted of federal racketeering charges.

Woman scuffles with Aurora police officers
Dawn E. Thomas, 37, of the 1200 block of West Greenleaf Avenue, Chicago, was charged with aggravated battery, two counts of resisting arrest, assault, obstructing police and criminal trespass to land in Aurora Wednesday afternoon. Police said she was arrested at about 4:30 p.m., after she refused to leave the property of a family member in the 3200 block of Lynnfield Court. She fought with officers who tried to take her into custody and fought again with booking personnel inside the Aurora lockup, police said. No one was injured.

Victim of Montgomery fire still hospitalized
One of the two survivors who escaped a fatal Montgomery fire is still hospitalized in Chicago. Kevin LeSure was in fair condition Wednesday at Rush University Medical Center, more than a week after the fire that killed two family members.

Gunmen hit workers, grab McDonald’s cash
Two masked men armed with black handguns held up an Oswego McDonald's just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, taking an unknown sum of money, Oswego police said. Two employees of the restaurant on Orchard Road were struck with a handgun during the robbery.A witness told police that the men fled on foot, and ran across a field behind the McDonalds, according to police. An employee with a shoulder injury was taken to an area hospital.

Bomb threat prompts evacuation of Jewel
The Jewel-Osco grocery in Yorkville was evacuated Wednesday morning after a bomb threat, Yorkville police said. At about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to the store when a note written in black marker was found on the toilet paper holder of the handicap stall in the women's restroom.

10 pass, 1 fails liquor check
Of 11 Aurora businesses checked in a liquor sting operation last week, only one failed to ask for identification and sold alcohol to an underage police cadet, police reported Wednesday. Aurora businesses which sell package liquor are required to ask for identification from customers who appear younger than 21, police said. An employee at Twin Liquors, 975 N. Farnsworth Ave., was charged with unlawful sale of alcohol to a minor, police said.

Attorney pleads guilty to marijuana possession
An area attorney could face suspension of his law license after pleading guilty to marijuana possession.

Warrant issued in fatal motorcycle crash
Campton Hills police issued a warrant Tuesday for a St. Charles man they believe was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident in May.

Police still probing grenade found in home
It apparently is not all that unusual to find weapons or explosives while cleaning out the house. The Kane County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday it will X-ray a hand grenade that was found in an Aurora home to see if it is a live explosive.

Second trial on for gang member
It's been almost four years since federal conspiracy charges were filed against Steven Perez in a sweep of Aurora gang members. Now, for the second time, Perez, 33, of Oswego, is facing a drug and murder racketeering trial. Testimony continued Tuesday in the trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

Cops: Grandkids' pictures identify burglars
Two men facing felony charges were trapped by the pictures in a camera they allegedly took from an Aurora home Monday, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.

Grenade startles home cleanup crew
How did a grenade end up in an otherwise unspectacular home in a quiet neighborhood on the far West Side of Aurora? Neighbors and police were still trying to figure that out Monday evening after a hand grenade was discovered in the home of woman who died in May.

Forgetfulness leads to marijuana charge
Armon Dominguez, 19, of the 300 block of Old Indian Trail, Aurora, was charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver after a traffic stop at 10:18 p.m. Sunday near Orchard Road and Knell Street, Aurora, the Kane County state's attorney's office said. Officers found 16 grams of marijuana in his car, prosecutors said. Dominguez, who originally gave police a false name, said he hadn't sold drugs in a month but forgot the packages of marijuana were in his car, prosecutors said.

Lightning sparks St. Charles fire
A family woke up to a loud clap of thunder and then a fire through the roof of their home around 5:01 a.m. today in St. Charles, fire officials said. None of the three occupants one was injured, according to the St. Charles Fire Department.

Blotter: Sandwich man charged with attack on teen
Gregg A. Melton, 34, 500 block of south Green Street, was charged with battery after a report of a 14-year-old being battered by an adult around 12:40 a.m. Saturday, Sandwich police said. Melton was released on his own recognizance.

Man charged with abuse of infant
A 27-year-old Montgomery man was charged Saturday with sexual assault and abuse of an infant child.

Sandwich man charged with battery to 14-year-old
Sandwich police are investigating a report of a 34-year-old man who allegedly battered a 14-year-old.

Motorcyclist killed after fleeing stop
A motorcyclist whom police attempted to stop for an equipment violation fled and later crashed after colliding with a cement truck about 1 p.m. Saturday.

Blotter: Fake name leads to real felony charge
A Montgomery man faces felony charges of forgery and obstruction of justice, as well as driving with a suspended license and improper lane usage, after a traffic stop by Montgomery police Wednesday night at Route 31 and Aucutt Road.

Traffic charge dropped in Route 47 fatal crash
Citing the possibility of double jeopardy in the case, the Kane County state's attorney's office has asked the court to dismiss a traffic charge against a motorist involved in a May fatal crash on Route 47 near Elburn.

St. Charles man pleads guilty to stabbing
A St. Charles man was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to stabbing a man during a fight in a St. Charles apartment.

St. Charles man is sentenced for April stabbing
A St. Charles man has received a 4-1/2-year prison sentence for his role in an April stabbing.

Teen driver charged with reckless homicide
An 18-year-old driver was charged Wednesday with 16 total felony counts, including reckless homicide and aggravated drunken driving, for a fatal crash last weekend in St. Charles.

Aurora cops hand out 132 tickets
Aurora police handed out 132 tickets during four recent traffic enforcement operations.

Aurora police probe cop impersonators
Aurora police are investigating an incident where two men impersonating Aurora police officers pulled over a woman Monday night on the far East Side, then searched both her and her vehicle.

Cops charge man asleep on airbag with DUI
Able Ruiz, 19, of the 500 block of Sixth Avenue, Aurora, was charged with drunken driving, failure to reduce speed, no valid driver's license and no insurance at 1:54 a.m. Saturday near East Ashland Avenue and Union Street, Aurora police said. Officers found Ruiz asleep on the airbag of his vehicle after he hit a stop sign and flattened his front tires, police said.

Two dozen teens charged at drinking party
Two dozen teenagers were charged with underage drinking early Sunday morning at an Oswego business. All but three of the identified teens were from Naperville, and one juvenile's town was not disclosed. None of the partygoers were from Oswego.

St. Charles man’s family sues driver in fatal crash
The family of a St. Charles man killed in a Geneva car accident in March has sued the other driver involved in the crash. Walter Lohmeyer, 84, was killed on March 14.

Aurora police investigate shooting, crash
Aurora police are questioning several men in connection with a Sunday morning shooting in the parking lot of a restaurant.

West Chicago teen killed in St. Charles crash
Update: A West Chicago teen was killed Sunday morning when the car he was riding in smashed into a tree in St. Charles. The front seat passenger, Cameron Godee, 18, 2800 block of Mansfield Court, was pronounced dead at the scene, shortly after a Ford Explorer hit a tree in the 3100 block of Royal Fox Drive, St. Charles police said.

Blotter: Teen arrested right at station
Plano police didn't go far to spot Jose Gardea. According to police, Gardea was sitting outside the Plano police station at 3:22 p.m. Sunday.

Police Blotter

Two die as house burns
Two people were killed and two others were injured early Saturday morning when a fire tore through a two-story home at in the 2400 block of River Ridge Road, Montgomery police said. Two men, one in his mid-20s and one in his mid-30s were unaccounted for when Bristol-Kendall fire officials arrived on the scene around 12:10 a.m. The Kendall County coroner has since pronounced both men deceased.

Judge orders Cardamone to wear GPS
A former Aurora gymnastics coach charged with improperly touching some of his young female students will have to wear a GPS monitor that tracks his movements while he awaits a possible retrial, a DuPage County judge said Friday.

Three charged in fake money scheme
Three Pennsylvania residents are facing felony charges after they tried to convince an Aurora business owner that they could produce fake $100 bills, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.

Fired police chief fighting Kane forest dist.
Former Kane County Forest Preserve Police Chief Charles Budde has turned to a federal appeals court after a judge threw out his 3-year-old lawsuit against his former employers.

Groundbreaking next week for North Aurora police HQ
North Aurora police officers will have six times more space to fight crime in when a new $8.9 million police station opens next year. Groundbreaking for the 24,000-square-foot facility will take place June 18 at the site at Route 31 and Airport Road.

Auroran convicted of storage trailer burglary
An Aurora man has been convicted of attempting to take items stored in a locked storage trailer in Aurora. Paul T. Clark, 46, of the 300 block of Lincoln Street, was convicted this week in Kane County Court of one count of burglary, a Class 2 felony.

8 departments respond to garage fire in Geneva
Eight fire departments with 64 firefighters and paramedics responded to a fire in an attached garage in Geneva late Wednesday.

Recalling two lives lost, hoping to find justice
It is said that the streets have eyes, ears and memories. But do they have a conscience? As memories begin to fade, can someone step out and do the right thing? Can they bring closure to families ripped apart? Can they find justice in a tragedy? That's what the families of James King and LaQuinton Green intended to find out Wednesday as they walked through Aurora.

Auroran convicted in trailer burglary
An Aurora man has been convicted of attempting to take items stored in a locked storage trailer in Aurora. Paul T. Clark, 46, of the 300 block of Lincoln Street, was convicted this week in Kane County Court of one count of burglary, a Class 2 felony.

DUI, nine other charges after stop in Kendall
Ryan O'Heron, 20, 200 block of Thornberry Court, Oswego, was charged with drunken driving, consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of alcohol by a minor, speeding, no driver's license, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and illegal transportation of alcohol after a traffic stop at 12:46 a.m. Tuesday near Old Post and Douglas roads, the Kendall County sheriff's office said.

Aurora man headed back to prison
An Aurora man paroled from prison barely five months ago is headed back into the system after being convicted of stealing merchandise earlier this year from a Naperville clothing store.

Worker in good condition after impalement on fence
A Comcast worker who was impaled on a fence after falling off a ladder was reported in good condition Tuesday at Provena Mercy Medical Center.

Aurora cops seek serial armed robber
Aurora police are investigating four armed robberies that police believe may have been committed by the same person. All the robberies occurred in near southeast side neighborhoods between May 10 and May 22, Aurora police said.

Judge decides not to raise Cardamone’s bond
A judge will decide Friday whether gymnastics coach Michael Cardamone will have to wear a GPS tracking device. On Monday, DuPage County prosecutors argued that Cardamone, who now lives in Oswego, had violated his $500,000 bond by taking his sons to an Easter egg hunt, a Chuck E. Cheese pizza restaurant and the family's Aurora gymnastics facility.

March purpose: Shake loose info on 2004 murder

Every year on the anniversary of his murder, James King's sisters visit the site where he and his friend were killed. Usually, they put up a cross and a small sign.

Man demands keys to car, now faces felony charge
Omar Gallegos, 27, 300 block of Superior Street, Aurora, was charged with felony burglary to a motor vehicle and misdemeanor criminal damage to property after he was found searching through a woman's car and demanding the keys to it at 10:29 p.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Fulton Street, Aurora, the Kane County state's attorney's office said. Gallegos told the woman it was his car and he was going to take it, prosecutors said.

Peeping Tom gets supervision
A "peeping Tom" has been placed on supervision and fined for spying last fall on the occupants of a Naperville apartment. Michael J. Bukovsky, 33, of Aurora, was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct/peeping, according to records on file in DuPage County Circuit Court.

Blotter: Felony retail theft charge
Jerrod Wilson, 19, of Woodridge, was charged with felony retail theft. He is accused of taking $598 worth of clothes at 7:10 p.m. Friday from a store in the 0-99 block of Fox Valley Center Drive, then running through the mall, Aurora police said.

Police Blotter