Friday, February 8, 2013
Jonathan Sarolas pleaded guilty to felony carjacking Thursday and was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, while the woman he said was his accomplice has asked for a bench trial.
A man who admitted to carjacking an Orland Park restaurant employee last summer with a BB gun was sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections Thursday, but the woman he said helped him plan the crime is moving forward with a trial. Jonathan Sarolas, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, a class X felony, in Judge John J. Hynes' Bridgeview courtroom. He has been in Cook County Jail on $700,000 bond since he was captured for the June 25, 2012 incident. Sarolas' arrest was also a parole violation for a 2006 robbery conviction and he had been released from prison 11 days before the carjacking. He was credited with 224 days time served and will also have to pay $725 in court costs. However, 24-…
Friday, January 11, 2013
The next court date for a man and a woman accused of carjacking an Orland Park restaurant employee with a BB gun could determine whether the pair will go to trial or consider a deal.
Attorneys for two people accused of carjacking an Orland Park restaurant employee last summer will have to indicate next month whether the pair will go to trial or want to resolve the case with a plea, a Cook County judge said Thursday. At a hearing in his Bridgeview courtroom, Judge John J. Hynes reminded counsel for Jonathan Sarolas, 25, and April Schmidt, 24, that the exchange of evidence is complete in the case and the next status date should determine whether they want to move forward with a trial. Both have been charged with felony aggravated vehicular hijacking. On June 25, police say Sarolas held up the employee with a BB pistol and stole her car keys and purse, before Sarolas and Schmidt fled the parking lot of Red Lobster in …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lawyers said Thursday that they are finished with the discovery phase of the felony carjacking case against Jonathan Sarolas and April Schmidt, who are accused of stealing the car of an Orland Park restaurant employee with a BB gun.
Attorneys for both sides have finished exchanging evidence in a felony case against two people accused of carjacking an Orland Park restaurant employee with a BB gun, officials said Thursday. The next court date for Jonathan Sarolas, 24, and April Schmidt, 23, may include pre-trial motions, though a defense attorney for Sarolas hasn't ruled out a plea agreement before then. "There's always the chance of an agreement," attorney Gus Kostopoulos told Patch after a brief status hearing on the case in Judge John J. Hynes' Bridgeview courtroom. However, "I haven't spoken to any [prosecutors] about it," he added. Police say Sarolas held up the employee with a BB pistol and stole her car keys and purse, before Sarolas and Schmidt fled the parking …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
A defense attorney for April Schmidt, who is accused of assisting a man with carjacking an Orland Park restaurant employee with a BB gun, received more evidence in the case in court Tuesday.
A woman who has been facing charges connected to an Orland Park carjacking appeared briefly in a Bridgeview courtroom Tuesday, as her defense attorney received more evidence for the case. April Schmidt, 23, of Woodriver, is charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, and is out on bail. Schmidt pleaded not guilty on Aug. 2, along with Jonathan Sarolas, 24, who remains in custody on $700,000 bail. Wearing a thin hoodie and jeans, Schmidt didn't speak as she stood next to attorney Timothy M. Grace in Judge John J. Hynes' courtroom. Grace received "packets of discovery" from prosecutor Debbie Lawler. Grace told Patch after the hearing that he was appearing for his partner, Marc E. Gottreich, and declined further comment on the case. …
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Homer Glen man identified as responsible for an armed robbery in Orland Park Monday night was spotted at a train stop in Midlothian on Friday.
A man accused of robbing an employee at an Orland Park restaurant using a BB pistol, before driving away in the employee’s car and escaping the area after a chase, has been caught, according to authorities. Jonathan E. Sarolas, 23, of the 13500 block of Erin Drive in Homer Glen, was charged Friday with aggravated vehicular hijacking, a Class X felony. On Friday, a Midlothian police officer saw people described as suspicious around the Midlothian Metra stop at 3750 W. 147th St. around 3:30 p.m. The officer recognized most of the people from past contacts, but didn’t recognize Sarolas, Orland Park Police Commander John Keating said Sunday. Sarolas gave the officer a false name when he was approached, according to a release from the Orland …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
A Woodriver woman is charged with a felony after she was found near a car stolen by a man using a BB gun to threaten the car owner.
Police are still looking for the man responsible for stealing a woman’s car by holding her up with a BB gun, but caught a woman involved with the carjacking. April D. Schmidt, 22, of the 2700 block of Windham Terrace Drive in Woodriver, was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, a Class X felony. Schmidt attended a bond hearing Thursday morning at the Bridgeview Courthouse, and was put on electronic home monitoring. Her next court date is scheduled for July 16. Schmidt and Jonathan Sarolas, 23, of the 13500 block of Erin Drive in Homer Glen, fled the parking lot of Red Lobster in Orland Park Monday night, after Sarolas held up an employee with a BB pistol and stole her car and purse. Sarolas and Schmidt then drove south in the stolen…
Jack Inhoff
12:36 am on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Hey- to be fair, the guy almost made it 2-full weeks out of prison. He was getting his life back together and he even had a nice girlfriend. The girlfriend will get a much more lenient sentence. They always do. more ›