Lake and McHenry County Scanner |
- Man allegedly threatened to kill woman in Woodstock if she didn’t stop pending criminal investigation
- Transportation officials announce $90 million in infrastructure projects in Lake County
- Judge sentences Melodie Gliniewicz, wife of disgraced Fox Lake police officer, to probation
- ‘Took the life of an innocent person’: Man charged with driving under influence, killing pedestrian in Ingleside
- ‘Making improvements every day’: Child remains hospitalized after car hits him, dog in Beach Park
- Driver seriously injured after car rolls over, pinning him underneath vehicle in Mundelein
| Posted: 12 Apr 2022 06:40 PM PDT   A Woodstock man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to slit a woman’s throat and kill her if she did not stop a pending criminal investigation, court documents show. Tanner B. Heidtke, 22, a transient of Woodstock, was charged with intimidation threatening physical harm, a Class 3 felony, and phone harassment threatening killing, a Class 4 felony. Heidtke called a female relative of his on Monday and threatened her, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court. The complaint said that Heidtke told the woman, who resides in Woodstock, to stop a pending criminal investigation in order to not have him arrested. Heidtke allegedly threatened to kill the woman and “slit her throat,” the complaint said. Heidtke was also charged with damaging the same woman’s mailbox by pushing it over into the street on Sunday. Officers with the Woodstock Police Department arrested Heidtke Monday morning and transported him to the McHenry County Jail. A judge ordered him held on a $21,000 bond. He would need to post $2,100 cash in order to be released. Heidtke is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. |
| Transportation officials announce $90 million in infrastructure projects in Lake County Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:02 PM PDT    Lake County transportation officials have announced new infrastructure projects for this year as part of a $90 million construction program, which aims to improve congestion and increase safety. The Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) said on Monday that more than 35 transportation projects will be under construction in 2022. The projects feature intersection improvements, bridge and culvert replacements, bike path connections and resurfacings, Lake County Deputy Communications Officer Alex Carr said. They are part of a construction program that includes $90 million for infrastructure projects which officials say will improve traffic congestion, increase safety and reduce carbon emissions in Lake County. $44.5 million out of $90 million will go towards new projects for this year. $45.5 million is continued from last year. The new projects will also “expand, modernize and preserve Lake County’s transportation system,” Carr said. Some spotlights for the project include:
 Preservation work planned for this year includes the following pavement resurfacing projects:
Resurfacing a roadway typically takes around three months to complete and usually requires flaggers to direct traffic, Carr said. Officials are reminding residents to limit distractions while driving and to know Scott’s Law, which requires motorists to move over when approaching a stopped vehicle or disabled vehicle displaying warning lights. Residents can view a detailed list of current and upcoming projects in the county. “In addition to the 48 lane miles that will be resurfaced in 2022, crews will be working on several projects that maintain and preserve our roads such as culvert replacements and bridge repairs. Some of our larger projects from last year are carrying over in 2022 to be completed as the weather warms up,” LCDOT Director of Transportation Shane Schneider said. “While this will be a busy year, we ask everyone to join us and commit to roadway safety, especially through construction zones. Put down your phone and limit distractions so we can all get home at the end of the day,” Schneider said. Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said improving infrastructure is “one of our top strategic priorities.” “The Lake County Board is proud to be investing more than $500 million in transportation over the next six years,” Hart said. “Expect to see orange cones throughout the county soon as we work on roads, bridges, and bike paths during what will be a busy construction season,” Hart added. |
| Judge sentences Melodie Gliniewicz, wife of disgraced Fox Lake police officer, to probation Posted: 12 Apr 2022 02:38 PM PDT    A judge has sentenced Melodie Gliniewicz, the widow of former Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, to probation Tuesday after she pleaded guilty to a charge relating to misusing charitable funds. Melodie Gliniewicz, 57, of the 38500 block of North Lakeside Place in Antioch, was charged in 2016 with multiple charges, including unlawful use of charitable funds and money laundering. Gliniewicz and her late husband, Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, stole thousands of dollars from the Fox Lake Police Department's Explorer Post for personal expenses from September 2009 through 2015, prosecutors have said. Joe Gliniewicz was found fatally shot in September 2015 after he staged his suicide, prompting a massive manhunt. Investigators said Joe Gliniewicz feared he was soon going to be caught for misusing the explorer post’s funds.  Gliniewicz’s attorneys and prosecutors met on February 18 at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan for a hearing in her case. Gliniewicz pleaded guilty during that hearing to one count of deceptive practice, a Class 4 felony. In exchange for her guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed all of her other charges. The deceptive practices charge allows the judge to give Gliniewicz a sentence of conditional discharge, probation or prison. “We are very pleased that Ms. Gliniewicz is taking legal responsibility for her actions. She deceived the Fox Lake Police Explorer Club and misused their funds. Our lawyers did an excellent job of reaching this negotiation as it foregoes the need for a trial and starts to end a long chapter in this story,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said following the plea. A jury trial, which was scheduled for February 22, was canceled following Gliniewicz’s guilty plea.  A sentencing hearing began Tuesday morning and continued late into Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses were called by both prosecutors and Gliniewicz’s defense team to testify. Towards the end of the hearing, Gliniewicz read a prepared statement to the court and wept most of the time she was speaking. “I didn’t know my husband was co-mingling his own money into the explorer account until he asked me to write a check back into the account. And I never knew the full amount he was co-mingling until after his death,” she said. Gliniewicz said she and her children have been “subjected to a litany of death threats” following her husband’s death. Gliniewicz claimed the media released her address, phone number, social security number and driver’s license number after her arrest, resulting in her accounts being breached. She also told the court she has not been able to get hired anyway despite applying to many jobs since her arrest. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam during the hearing that Illinois’ Second Chance Probation Program is not appropriate for Gliniewicz. “The defendant treated the Fox Lake Police Explorer bank account as their own account.” Gliniewicz’s attorney, Donald Morrison, asked the judge to sentence the woman to the Second Chance Probation Program. After hearing from both sides, Lake County Judge James Booras sentenced Gliniewicz to 24 months of probation and 150 hours of public service work. A 90-day sentence in the county jail is stayed as long as Gliniewicz successfully completes her probation, Booras said. Booras said that the imprisonment of Gliniewicz would contribute to hardship for her children. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said, “This case from 2015 has finally ended with the public learning about Joe and Melodie’s financial crimes. She said she was guilty and that public acknowledgment along with successful monitoring from our felony probation unit will protect our community and prevent her from financially deceiving others again.” “We will still have to wait to see if she is fully rehabilitated and whether she can comply with the court’s orders. But for today, we know that people understand they cannot misuse charitable funds in Lake County without consequences,” Rinehart added. |
| Posted: 12 Apr 2022 12:22 PM PDT   A 40-year-old man was charged Monday with driving under the influence of drugs when he swerved off the road and struck and killed a man who was walking in Ingleside last summer, police said. The incident happened around 6:40 p.m. on June 3 near Route 59 and Stanton Point Road in Ingleside. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a black Chrysler 300 that had struck and critically injured Michael Brennan, 53, of Ingleside, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli. An investigation showed the Chrysler, driven by Brian J. King, 40, of the 35500 block of Tami Lane in Ingleside, was traveling northbound on Route 59. A witness called 911 after noticing King’s vehicle swerving off the roadway while driving. As King approached Stanton Point Road, he continued swerving out of his lane of traffic and struck Brennan, who was walking on grass and gravel next to the shoulder, Covelli said. Brennan was walking on the south shoulder of Route 59, Covelli said, adding that there are no sidewalks in the area.  Brennan sustained major injuries and was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical condition. He died 13 days later on June 16. An investigation into the case was recently concluded. “The investigation included a detailed examination and analysis of the scene, interviews with witnesses, vehicle inspections, reviewing materials obtained via subpoena, and more,” Covelli said on Tuesday. King, who was uninjured in the incident, was found to have numerous drugs in his system at the time of the crash, Covelli said. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and on Monday approved charges of aggravated driving while under the influence of drugs, aggravated driving under the influence causing death and reckless homicide. “This was a completely preventable tragedy which took the life of an innocent person, because someone made the careless and selfish decision to drive impaired,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said. “I am proud of the tenacious effort put in by our traffic crash investigators to bring charges against the offender. I am also thankful for the witness who not only called 911, but stayed at the scene to provide a statement to traffic crash investigators. I hope this conclusion brings the first steps of closure to the Brennan family,” Idleburg said. An arrest warrant was issued on Monday and a Lake County judge set bond at $500,000. King was arrested without incident at his residence, the sheriff’s office said. He is scheduled to appear again on May 2. |
| ‘Making improvements every day’: Child remains hospitalized after car hits him, dog in Beach Park Posted: 12 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT    A 7-year-old boy who was critically injured after he and a dog were hit by a car in Beach Park earlier this month remains hospitalized but his condition is improving, authorities said. The incident happened around 9:20 a.m. on April 1 in the area of Emily’s Pancake House, 38730 North Sheridan Road in Beach Park. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ari Briskman said a 29-year-old Beach Park woman was driving a silver 2005 Ford Explorer on Sheridan Road north of Chaney Avenue. A 7-year-old boy and a dog, both of whom were from Beach Park, entered the roadway and were struck by the Ford as it traveled northbound. The child was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries, Briskman said. The child was later transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago where he remains admitted, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said on Monday.  The dog was deceased after the crash and was removed from the scene by bystanders, Briskman said. The driver of the Ford Explorer, who was the sole occupant in the vehicle, was not injured and remained at the scene. Briskman said the driver is cooperating in the investigation. Impairment is not believed to be a factor. “He [the child] is making improvements every day and is expected to be discharged, but we don’t know exactly when yet,” Covelli said. Based on preliminary information, excessive speed is not believed to be a contributing factor in the crash, Covelli said. No citations have been issued yet as the crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Technical Crash Investigation Unit. The case will be reviewed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office upon the conclusion of the investigation. |
| Driver seriously injured after car rolls over, pinning him underneath vehicle in Mundelein Posted: 12 Apr 2022 08:39 AM PDT    A man suffered life-threatening injuries after police say his vehicle rolled over, leaving him partially ejected and pinned underneath the car in Mundelein Monday morning. The Mundelein Fire Department and Mundelein Police Department responded around 12:50 a.m. Monday to the intersection of Route 45 and Walnut Street for a report of a single-vehicle crash. Mundelein Deputy Police Chief Jason Seeley told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that a vehicle was traveling northbound on Route 45. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and rolled over onto its side.  The 36-year-old male driver was partially ejected and became pinned between the vehicle and the ground, Seeley said. Firefighters arrived and extricated the driver from underneath the vehicle. Paramedics transported him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Seeley said the man had suffered life-threatening injuries but his condition had stabilized later that morning and he remained hospitalized. No one else was inside the vehicle and police believe alcohol was a contributing factor in the incident.  The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team was called to the scene to assist in the investigation due to the seriousness of the crash. The northbound lanes of Route 45 were closed during the investigation and reopened before the morning rush hour. No charges or citations have been issued yet as the investigation is still pending, Seeley said. |
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