Saturday, May 18, 2013
A lawsuit against an imprisoned preacher from Crete and an Indiana megachurch topped the week's court news.
A former megachurch preacher sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in March for carrying on a sexual relationship with a teenage member of his congregation was sued in Will County court. In addition to preacher Jack Schaap, 55, of Crete, the First Baptist Church of Hammond was named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The parents of a teenage girl Schaap had sex with while he was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond filed the lawsuit. The suit identifies the parents as "John Doe and Mary Doe," and the teen as "Jane Doe." The suit gives Jane Doe's date of birth as June 27, 1995. Here's what else was going on at the area's courthouses: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Prosecutors wanted Allan Kustok to be held without the possibility of bonding out.
In the more than two and a half years Allan Kustok has been locked up for allegedly murdering his wife, he has yet to scratch together the $200,000 he needs to get out of custody. On Monday, a prosecutor argued that Kustok should have no hope at all of securing his release before trial. Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Gonzalez moved to have Kustok held without bond. Gonzalez argued that an expert determined Kustok used a gun to kill his wife, Anita Kustok. Since Allan Kustok used a firearm, another 25 years—or even a life term—can be tacked on his sentence if he is found guilty, Gonzalez said during a Monday morning hearing at the Bridgeview courthouse. And with Allan Kustok looking at life behind bars, Gonzalez said he …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
A Caribbean music record company owner has a drug dog's lack of punctuality to thank for getting him out of a felony pot charge, but he still couldn't get his marijuana back.
Martin Scott was looking at a possible 30-year prison sentence after a police dog found pot in the trunk of his car back in September 2011. But a Cook County judge decided this week that the 41 minutes a state trooper made Scott wait for the dog to show up was too long, and ruled that the marijuana could not be used as evidence against him. Without that evidence, prosecutors decided to drop the case. Scott, 52, said he is the owner of Kingston, Jamaica, based UIM Records. He also said he obtained his marijuana legally in California and asked if he could have it back. He was refused. Scott left the Markham courthouse a happy—and free—man, and strolled away puffing on his electronic cigarette. Not too many other people written about last …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A former Plainfield North gym teacher pleaded guilty to meeting a teen for sex. And that was just one of the things going on in court this week.
More than two years after the police caught her in a car with a half-dressed student from the high school where she was a teacher, Ashley Blumenshine copped a plea. Blumenshine, a 30-year-old former Plainfield North gym teacher, will have to do 11 days in jail. She will also spend two years on sex offender probation and 10 yeas on the Illinois sex offender registry. She tearfully apologized before she was taken into custody to start doing her time. Let's look at what else was going on in the area's courthouses this past week: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
A hearing in the Allan Kustok murder case was postponed when no one brought Allan Kustok to court.
A hearing in the murder case of an Orland Park man charged with gunning down his wife never happened after no one brought the alleged killer to court. "Although his papers have been sent, the body was not," said Rick Beuke, the attorney for Allan Kustok. Kustok was to appear at the Bridgeview courthouse Monday morning, but no one picked him up from where he is being held at the Kankakee County jail. Kustok was taken from the Cook County Jail to Kankakee shortly after his arrest when officials learned he had worked as a sanitarian at the jail from 2004 to 2007 and is familiar with the inner workings of the facility. Beuke said he did not know why his client wasn't in court Monday. Cook County Judge John Joseph Hynes reset the hearing for …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
A New Lenox man spoke of his "horrific" ordeal in the county jail after he was arrested for a murder someone else was wanted for.
We started the week off by talking with the New Lenox man jailed for two weeks for a murder allegedly committed by someone else with the same name. Pedro Hernandez, 67, said his time in the Will County jail was "horrific," and that he's looking for a lawyer to talk to about filing a lawsuit. But Hernandez's ordeal was just one of the things going on last week. There was also: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The alleged triggerman jailed in connection with last week's 7-Eleven parking lot murder appeared at the Bridgeview courthouse and was sent back to jail without a bond.
The Markham teen charged with gunning down a man he met through Craigslist to barter electronic equipment appeared at the Bridgeview courthouse Tuesday morning and was sent back to jail without a bond. READ: Markham Teen Charged With Murder in 7-Eleven Shooting Christopher Dyson, 18, faces murder and armed robbery charges in connection with Thursday's fatal shooting of 24-year-old Thomas Mastro of Tinley Park. Dyson and Mastro reportedly met outside a Tinley Park 7-Eleven so Dyson could trade his iPhone for Mastro's Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita. The deal reportedly was set up after Mastro posted an ad on Craigslist. READ: Tinley Park Man Fatally Shot in Argument in Store Parking Lot Dyson tried to rip Mastro off, then pulled a gun …
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Christopher J. Dyson, 18, also faces an armed robbery charge connected to Thursday's shooting that left a Tinley Park man dead. He is being held without bail.
Christopher J. Dyson, 18, of Markham, was charged Saturday with murder and armed robbery in connection with Thursday's fatal shooting in a Tinley Park 7-Eleven parking lot, according to a Village of Tinley Park press release. He is being held without bail, and his next court date will be Tuesday, March 26, at the Bridgeview courthouse, a village spokesman said Saturday. The case is still under investigation, according to the press release. READ: Check Out the Full Story of the Shooting for More Details Dyson tried to rob Thomas Mastro, 24, outside the convenience store before pulling a gun, shooting Mastro in the chest and then fleeing the scene north on Oak Park Avenue, police said. He was captured around 147th and Oak Park Avenue in Oak …
Saturday, March 23, 2013
A Joliet man was charged with the brutal murder of his mother, and there was plenty more going on as well.
It was bad enough last week when a Cook County man appeared in court for allegedly beating his mother, stabbing her and leaving her in a ditch. But now this week we have a Joliet man who allegedly choked his mother, stabbed her so hard with one knife the blade bent, plunged a second knife into her repeatedly and then used a baseball bat to hammer it into her her body until the handle broke, and finally dropped her in the Des Plaines River. The body of Jeanie Parker, 54, remains missing as fire department divers brave the depths of the Des Plaines and police officers scour the river bank. Parker's son, Charles McCullum, 21, has been charged with her murder and is being held on a $5 million bond. Also in court this week, there was: See all …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Drew Peterson is either getting a new trial or he's heading to prison.
On Tuesday, the attorneys for Drew Peterson will make a final push to keep him out of prison by securing a new murder trial. Will County Judge Edward Burmila has set aside two days for the hearing, but some involved predict it will last much longer. If, at the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Burmila decides against calling for a new trial, he plans to head straight for sentencing. During the week that just ended, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow took steps to avoid having to testify at Peterson's hearing. Glasgow filed court papers claiming that, as a prosecutor, special steps must be taken to force him to testify. He maintains Peterson's attorneys have failed to take those steps. That is just one of many issues to be addressed …
Bob
12:43 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Lets make money off our daughter having sex with an older man. more ›