Lake and McHenry County Scanner |
- Lifeguard rescues unresponsive person who nearly drowned in public pool near Vernon Hills
- Man driving intoxicated crashed car into building in Fox Lake, prosecutors say
- Thunderstorms cause damage throughout Antioch area, leave 2 homes uninhabitable
- Homeowner holds burglar at gunpoint after awakening to find him inside home in Ingleside
- ‘We will not forget these three angels’: Community and officials gather in Round Lake Beach after father murders his 3 children
- Man charged with DUI in 100+ mph crash that left him critically injured in Harvard
- ‘I wish I was there for them’: Mother speaks out after her 3 children were murdered in Round Lake Beach
- Company reaches agreement in lawsuit brought by attorney general for explosion that killed 4 at Waukegan plant
- Coroner identifies 25-year-old man killed after wrong way, high-speed crash near Harvard
- Judge orders $10 million bond for man charged with ‘drowning his children one by one’ in Round Lake Beach
| Lifeguard rescues unresponsive person who nearly drowned in public pool near Vernon Hills Posted: 16 Jun 2022 02:37 PM PDT    Paramedics and a lifeguard successfully revived a person who was unresponsive after nearly drowning in a public pool near Vernon Hills, officials said. The Lincolnshire Riverwoods Fire Protection District responded around 5:14 p.m. Tuesday to Vernon Township Peterson Park Pool, 16652 North Buffalo Grove Road in unincorporated Vernon Hills. Fire officials said dispatch received a call for a report of a cardiac arrest at the pool. Dispatchers were told that the incident was for a drowning victim. Emergency crews arrived to find the patient out of the pool and CPR was being performed by the on-duty lifeguard. Emergency crews assisted with advanced life support measures, fire officials said. The victim was revived and talking as paramedics began to transport them to a nearby hospital. The first district credited the lifeguard’s quick actions by rescuing the subject and immediately performing CPR. “Due to the lifeguard's quick actions, the immediate initiation of CPR, and the advanced life support measures, the patient's prognosis looks positive,” the fire district said. The post Lifeguard rescues unresponsive person who nearly drowned in public pool near Vernon Hills appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Man driving intoxicated crashed car into building in Fox Lake, prosecutors say Posted: 16 Jun 2022 01:42 PM PDT    Prosecutors say an Ingleside man crashed his vehicle into an apartment building in Fox Lake while driving under the influence of alcohol and resisted arrest. Shaun R. Dalton, 42, of the 35500 block of North Everett Avenue in Ingleside, was charged with driving under the influence, criminal damage to property and resisting a peace officer. The incident happened around 10:50 p.m. Sunday at the Lincoln Garfield Apartments near Lincoln Avenue and Jefferson Street in Fox Lake. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said police responded to a call of a possible DUI. Officers, who were initially searching the area for the vehicle, came across the car, which had crashed into the side of a building. The car went inside the building through the glass doors and hit the brick siding. The glass doors were shattered and bricks were knocked down, Katris said. Two parked cars had also been hit during the incident. One of them had its rear end ripped off and the other was smashed in. A witness identified Dalton as the driver of the car and he was standing next to the vehicle. Dalton had a strong odor of alcohol and refused to complete some of the DUI tests, Katris said. The damage to the vehicles and building was “well over” the state’s felony $500 amount, Katris added. Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Dalton held in the Lake County Jail on a $150,000 bond. In addition to his criminal charges, Dalton was cited for failure to reduce speed, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and expiration of registration. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis argued against modifying Dalton’s bond during a subsequent court hearing Wednesday. Potkonjak reduced Dalton’s bond to $50,000 and he was released from the jail after posting 10%. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 13. The post Man driving intoxicated crashed car into building in Fox Lake, prosecutors say appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Thunderstorms cause damage throughout Antioch area, leave 2 homes uninhabitable Posted: 16 Jun 2022 11:21 AM PDT    Village officials say multiple trees came down in Antioch during thunderstorms overnight and the fire department responded to a lightning strike that left two homes uninhabitable. Antioch Village Communication Specialist Jim Moran said it was a busy night for the village’s police, fire and public works departments. “First of all, we’re happy to report that no one was injured during last night’s storms,” Moran said. A tree came down on Tiffany Road near Highview Drive. The Antioch Public Works Department responded with a front loader and pushed it off the roadway.  Crews will clean up the debris Thursday and reopen the roadway. Another downed tree occurred on Route 59 south of Route 173. Police officers were able to pull it off the roadway and public works crews will clean up the debris Thursday, Moran said. The fire department responded around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday to the 1100 block of Victoria Street after lightning struck an electric pole that ran into two houses. The strike destroyed both electrical boxes. There was a small electric fire, however, there was no major damage to either house, Moran said.  ComEd responded and removed the electrical boxes. One of the houses suffered a water main break in the basement. Antioch Public Works crews came out to cut and cap the water line. Public works crews will respond Thursday for water main repairs. Moran said the residents of both houses were displaced due to a lack of electricity and water in one of the homes. Another downed tree on Harden between Main Street and Victoria Street caused the roadway to have to be shut down with barricades. Public works crews were working to remove the tree Thursday morning. “There were countless other smaller branches down, several garbage cans blowing around, and other minor issues,” Moran said. The post Thunderstorms cause damage throughout Antioch area, leave 2 homes uninhabitable appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Homeowner holds burglar at gunpoint after awakening to find him inside home in Ingleside Posted: 16 Jun 2022 08:54 AM PDT   A homeowner held a burglary suspect at gunpoint after finding him inside their home next to their baby’s bedroom in Ingleside Thursday morning, police and prosecutors said. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 12:10 a.m. Thursday to the 25800 block of West Marquette Drive in Ingleside for a burglary in progress. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said responding sheriff's deputies were informed the victim was holding the burglar at gunpoint. Sheriff's deputies arrived and found James J. Rizzo, 34, of the 100 block of Windward Road in Lakemoor, being detained by the victim. Sheriff's deputies arrested Rizzo. Covelli said further investigation revealed Rizzo burglarized the victim's car, which was parked in the driveway. Rizzo allegedly used the car's garage door opener to open the garage and enter the home. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kelse Banks said the victims were home in bed when one of them heard someone inside their house. The victim’s observed Rizzo next to their baby’s bedroom, Banks said. The victim held Rizzo at gunpoint until sheriff's deputies arrived, Covelli said. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved a charge of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. Rizzo is on probation for a previous burglary case, Banks said. Lake County Judge James Simonian ordered Rizzo held on a $100,000 bond. He would need to post $10,000 cash in order to be released from the Lake County Jail. The post Homeowner holds burglar at gunpoint after awakening to find him inside home in Ingleside appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Posted: 16 Jun 2022 07:30 AM PDT    Community members and village officials gathered Wednesday evening to reflect on “one of the most difficult moments to ever happen” in the community after a father was charged with drowning his three children at a Round Lake Beach home on Monday. The gathering was held Wednesday evening inside the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center. Over five dozen community members joined village officials like Round Lake Beach Mayor Scott Nickles and Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera to support and talk to each other. Nickles, who is a former police officer and a father, said the triple murder that occurred Monday evening in the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach “crushed” him. “While this tragedy has touched us today, Round Lake Beach is made up of strong people and strong families. As we breathe today, we will persevere tomorrow,” Nickles said. “But for now, hug your friends, lean on your neighbors and counsel one another as we begin the process of grieving together.” Jason E. Karels, 35, of the residence, was charged Tuesday morning with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his three children: Gideon Karels, age 2; Cassidy Karels, age 3; and Bryant Karels, age 5. Nickles said there are no words to express his condolences to Karel’s family and he urged the community to reach out to him personally if they need help.  Rivera thanked the public as the homicide investigation unfolded. “I requested this gathering to personally thank you, the community, for your support, patience and understanding during one of the most difficult moments to ever happen in our community,” Rivera said. “I assume many of you have a deep desire to do something – anything – to show support and relay a message of love, kindness, empathy and compassion. That’s why we are gathered here today.” “We will not forget these three angels: Bryant, Cassidy and Gideon,” Rivera said, choking up. Reverend Tim Perry, who is the president of Nationwide Chaplain Services, called first responders “warriors,” and the crowd gave a round of applause to the several Round Lake Beach police officers standing in the back of the room. Members of the community later had the opportunity to engage in dialogue and share their reactions to the triple murder.  Debbie Karels, the mother of the three children, spoke with news reporters Wednesday afternoon and said, “I just wish I was there for them that day. I just wish I was there to grab them before this all happened.” Debbie said her husband physically and mentally abused her and that he killed their children because “he knew that would hurt me the most.” She said she was planning on doing joint custody at first but changed her mind and decided she would seek full custody because her husband had been mentally ill. Debbie Karels went to her husband’s residence to pick up her children, who were spending the weekend with their father, for a doctor’s visit on Monday. Rivera said during a press conference that the mother went into the home and found her three children dead in a bedroom.  Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said during a bond hearing Wednesday that police found a note in the house that said, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” referring to the children. Karels was still married to his wife but they were separated, police said. After Karels’ arrest, he made statements admitting to killing his three children. He later gave a detailed statement to investigators about how he drowned each child one by one in a bathtub, Facklam said. Karels said during the bond hearing that he could not afford a lawyer and was seeking a public defender. Facklam asked Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak to order Karels held without bond. Potkonjak ordered Karels held on a $10 million bond.  According to Rivera, the Round Lake Beach police issued an alert to area police departments across the Chicago area following the triple murder. Illinois State Police spotted Karels’ red 2010 Nissan Maxima and attempted a traffic stop on him. Karels refused to stop and led officers on a 17-minute high-speed pursuit where he crashed into a heavily wooded area on Interstate 80 near Water Street in Joliet. Karels had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters. Officers wearing bodycams captured Karels admitting to killing his three kids. Rivera said that Karels had attempted suicide multiple times leading up to his arrest, including at the crime scene at his residence where investigators found a “significant amount” of blood that did not belong to his kids.  Karels was hospitalized and police said Tuesday evening he had been released from the hospital and transported to the Lake County Jail. Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said preliminary autopsies on Gideon, Cassidy and Bryant indicate they died from drowning. No other substantial injuries were evident on the children, Newton said. Toxicology results are pending. Rivera said officers did not a history with Karels or the family. “We are all touched by this. This is not something you go to and are unaffected by. What they [officers] saw yesterday is something no one should have to see,” Rivera said during a press conference Tuesday. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said this is a “devasting case for our community. “We are resolved to achieve justice for these three innocent children. First, we need to ensure that the defendant is not released pending trial considering the nature of the case and his flight. We have filed a motion asking he be held without bond,” Rinehart said. “Second, we need to give any and every resource available to the family. Finally, within the office, we will devote everything necessary to make sure this brutal crime is punished, and that this defendant never ever harms anyone again,” Rinehart added.  Lake County Board Member Dick Barr said Monday evening that the three children were “taken from this earth by unspeakable evil.” “That unspeakable evil existed in the heart and mind of the man who so heinously took the lives of three of his own children,” Barr said. “This was not a criminal act that is emblematic of who we are or where we live, rather a selfish soul, void of humanity, void of compassion, void of mental well being, who cared more about himself than he did about his own children,” Barr said. “As heart broken as I am, I am equally angry. I’m angry that this coward is not dead while his innocent children are stacked up at the morgue and his estranged wife weeps with sorrow no human alive should ever have to endure,” he added.  Barr, a Round Lake Beach resident, said he started a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the mother of the children. The fundraiser has already collected more than $65,000 in a day and continues to grow. Authorities said additional charges are possible against Karels, who remains held in the Lake County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday for a bond review hearing and on July 13 for a preliminary hearing. The incident remains under investigation by the Round Lake Beach Police Department. The post ‘We will not forget these three angels’: Community and officials gather in Round Lake Beach after father murders his 3 children appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Man charged with DUI in 100+ mph crash that left him critically injured in Harvard Posted: 15 Jun 2022 04:58 PM PDT    DUI charges have been filed against a 20-year-old man who was critically injured after he drove “well over” 100 mph when his car went airborne and hit a pole in Harvard, police said. The Harvard Fire Protection District and Harvard Police Department responded around 12:52 a.m. Saturday to the intersection of Lawrence Road and Oak Grove Road for a report of a single-vehicle crash with injuries. Officers discovered a 2009 Mercedes that had left the roadway and struck a utility pole and clump of trees, according to Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman. The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was identified as Roberto Calixto-Esquivel, 20, of the 9000 block of North Malinda Drive in Harvard. A preliminary investigation shows the Mercedes had been traveling at a rate of speed “well over” 100 mph, Bauman said. The vehicle left the roadway and went airborne. It then struck a utility pole and a clump of trees. One of Mercyhealth’s emergency field vehicles — called MD-1 — was called to the scene to help treat Calixto-Esquivel. MD-1 vehicles are staffed by residency-trained emergency medicine physicians and they can help paramedics stabilize a patient before they are transported to the hospital from a scene. Calixto-Esquivel was transported by ambulance to Javon Bea Hospital Riverside in Rockford where he was in critical condition, Bauman said. The man’s condition has since been stabilized and he remains hospitalized. The Northeastern McHenry County Regional Major Crash Assistance Team was activated and responded to investigate the incident. Bauman said it appears the combination of excessive speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash. Calixto-Esquivel was charged on Tuesday with three counts of driving under the influence and one count of reckless driving. He was issued citations for operating an uninsured motor vehicle, failure to wear a seatbelt, driving on wrong side of the road and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Calixto-Esquivel is scheduled to appear in court on July 27. The post Man charged with DUI in 100+ mph crash that left him critically injured in Harvard appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Posted: 15 Jun 2022 02:44 PM PDT    The mother who found her three children murdered in Round Lake Beach spoke publicly Wednesday and said her husband killed their children because “he knew that would hurt me the most.” Debbie Karels spoke with news reporters Wednesday afternoon about the deaths of her three children: Gideon Karels, age 2; Cassidy Karels, age 3; and Bryant Karels, age 5. “Gideon was my baby boy that I didn’t think I would ever have. It was like a miracle baby. He loved mommy so much. He was a mommy’s boy,” Debbie said as she described each of her children. “I just wish I was there for them that day. I just wish I was there to grab them before this all happened,” she said. Debbie Karels said that she had recently left her husband Jason Karels and began talking with a divorce attorney. “This time it was different. This time I wasn’t given in, I wasn’t coming back. It was set in stone I was leaving because I deserve better.” “The most important thing to me were the kids and he knew that, he knew that nothing mattered to me but those children and he took them away from me because he knew that would hurt me the most,” Debbie said. She said she was planning on doing joint custody at first but changed her mind and decided she would seek full custody because her husband had been mentally ill. “I know he’s been mentally ill. He never accepted to get help with it because he said he could do it himself,” Debbie said, later adding that her husband had physically and mentally abused her. Jason E. Karels, 35, of the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach, was charged Tuesday with three counts of first-degree murder. Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said during a press conference that officers responded to the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach around 1:40 p.m. Monday for a well-being check. Debbie Karels went to the residence to pick up her children who were with Jason Karels for the weekend. Rivera said the mother went into the home and found her three children dead in a bedroom. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said during a bond hearing Wednesday that police found a note in the house that said, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” referring to the children. Karels was still married to his wife but they were separated, police said. After Karels’ arrest, he made statements admitting to killing his three children. He later gave a detailed statement to investigators about how he drowned each child one by one in a bathtub, Facklam said.  Karels said during the bond hearing that he could not afford a lawyer and was seeking a public defender. Facklam asked Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak to order Karels held without bond. Potkonjak ordered Karels held on a $10 million bond. According to Rivera, the Round Lake Beach police issued an alert to area police departments across the Chicago area following the triple murder. Illinois State Police spotted Karels’ red 2010 Nissan Maxima and attempted a traffic stop on him. Karels refused to stop and led officers on a 17-minute high-speed pursuit where he crashed into a heavily wooded area on Interstate 80 near Water Street in Joliet. Karels had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters. Officers wearing bodycams captured Karels admitting to killing his three kids. Rivera said that Karels had attempted suicide multiple times leading up to his arrest, including at the crime scene at his residence where investigators found a “significant amount” of blood that did not belong to his kids. Karels was hospitalized and police said Tuesday evening he had been released from the hospital and transported to the Lake County Jail. Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said preliminary autopsies on Gideon, Cassidy and Bryant indicate they died from drowning. No other substantial injuries were evident on the children, Newton said. Toxicology results are pending. Rivera said officers did not a history with Karels or the family.  “We are all touched by this. This is not something you go to and are unaffected by. What they [officers] saw yesterday is something no one should have to see,” Rivera said during a press conference Tuesday. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said this is a “devasting case for our community. “We are resolved to achieve justice for these three innocent children. First, we need to ensure that the defendant is not released pending trial considering the nature of the case and his flight. We have filed a motion asking he be held without bond,” Rinehart said. “Second, we need to give any and every resource available to the family. Finally, within the office, we will devote everything necessary to make sure this brutal crime is punished, and that this defendant never ever harms anyone again,” Rinehart added. Lake County Board Member Dick Barr said Monday evening that the three children were “taken from this earth by unspeakable evil.” “That unspeakable evil existed in the heart and mind of the man who so heinously took the lives of three of his own children,” Barr said. “This was not a criminal act that is emblematic of who we are or where we live, rather a selfish soul, void of humanity, void of compassion, void of mental well being, who cared more about himself than he did about his own children,” Barr said. “As heart broken as I am, I am equally angry. I’m angry that this coward is not dead while his innocent children are stacked up at the morgue and his estranged wife weeps with sorrow no human alive should ever have to endure,” he added. Barr, a Round Lake Beach resident, said he started a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the mother of the children. The fundraiser has already collected more than $65,000 in a day. Authorities said additional charges are possible against Karels, who remains held in the Lake County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday for a bond review hearing and on July 13 for a preliminary hearing. The incident remains under investigation by the Round Lake Beach Police Department. The post ‘I wish I was there for them’: Mother speaks out after her 3 children were murdered in Round Lake Beach appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Posted: 15 Jun 2022 01:12 PM PDT    AB Specialty Silicones has agreed to stop producing certain products and pay a fine following a lawsuit by the attorney general’s office after an explosion at their Waukegan plant killed four employees in 2019. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released a video in April giving a detailed recreation of the May 3, 2019, blast at an AB Specialty Silicones plant near Northwestern Avenue and Sunset Avenue in Waukegan. AB Specialty Silicones manufactures silicone products used in a wide variety of applications, including personal care and roof coatings. The products are distributed worldwide. The product EM-652, which is used as a waterproofing agent, was being made using a batch process the night of the explosion, the federal agency said. An employee mixed two incompatible chemicals after misidentifying a drum of chemicals. The mixture reacted and produced highly flammable hydrogen gas that ignited. The ignition caused a “massive explosion” that killed employees Jeff Cummings, 57, of Kenosha, Wisconsin; Byron H. Biehn, 53, of Brighton Township, Wisconsin; Daniel Nicklas, 24, of Beach Park; and Allen E. Stevens Jr., 29, of Salem, Wisconsin. The Illinois Attorney General’s office and Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office had filed a lawsuit in late May 2019 against the company. The lawsuit alleged that the fire and explosion at the company's Waukegan manufacturing facility resulted in an unknown amount of chemicals being released into the air, causing air pollution and threatening land and water near the facility. The suit also alleged that contaminants released by the explosion and water used to extinguish the fire allowed chemicals to seep into storm sewers, contaminating a wetland and Osprey Lake, located approximately one mile away from the plant. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address risks to public health and the environment. An agreed preliminary injunction entered in October 2019 required AB Specialty Silicones to investigate and evaluate the environmental impact of contaminants released in the explosion and fire. The injunction also required the company to clean up any contamination with oversight by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). On Tuesday, the Illinois Attorney General’s office announced a consent order was approved and entered in Lake County Circuit Court. The consent order resolves the lawsuit by requiring AB Specialty Silicones to pay all IEPA oversight costs and a civil penalty of $40,000. The consent order prohibits the company's Waukegan facility from producing certain hydrogen-releasing silicone emulsion products, including the product that was manufactured when the plant exploded. The order also requires the company to continue following the previously entered preliminary injunction.  “In many ways, the Waukegan community was forever changed by this explosion, which resulted in contamination of the surrounding environment but even more tragically, the loss of lives,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “The consent order ensures AB Specialty Silicones is held responsible for the tragedy, and I hope it brings some healing to the community,” Raoul said. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company in October 2019 for willful violations, which means “the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.” The company was fined $1,591,176 and OSHA placed the silicon chemical products manufacturer in the “Severe Violator Enforcement Program.” “OSHA investigators determined AB Specialty Silicones failed to ensure that electrical equipment and installations in the production area of the plant complied with OSHA electrical standards, and were approved for hazardous locations,” the U.S. Department of Labor said in October 2019. “The company also used forklifts powered by liquid propane to transport volatile flammable liquids, and operated these forklifts in areas where employees handled and processed volatile flammable liquids and gases, creating the potential for ignition,” the U.S. Department of Labor added. “By ignoring safety and health requirements, this employer created an unsafe work environment with deadly consequences,” Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of OSHA, said.  The explosion caused more than $1 million in damage and damaged at least five other buildings in the area of the plant. Nine people were working in the AB Speciality Silicones plant at the time of the explosion. Of the nine employees, four were found dead in the rubble, three escaped the building but suffered injuries, and two of them escaped without injury. Cummings, who was a supervisor at the plant, noticed a problem just before the blast and reportedly helped evacuate employees. He went back inside the building to look for the remaining employees when the explosion occurred. Stevens had been transported by ambulance to an area hospital and later transferred to the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where he died. Residents throughout Lake County reported feeling and hearing the explosion and some even felt it from more than 15 miles away. Debris from the explosion covered Sunset Avenue near Northwestern Avenue as over 100 firefighters from throughout Lake County and Cook County were called to the scene. The post Company reaches agreement in lawsuit brought by attorney general for explosion that killed 4 at Waukegan plant appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Coroner identifies 25-year-old man killed after wrong way, high-speed crash near Harvard Posted: 15 Jun 2022 10:48 AM PDT    The coroner’s office has identified a 25-year-old man who was killed last week when he drove at a high rate of speed in the wrong lane of traffic, causing a head-on crash near Harvard. An autopsy performed Monday showed that Ivan Avina, 25, of Harvard, died as a result of blunt trauma, according to McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein. The McHenry County Sheriff's Office, Harvard Police Department Harvard Fire Protection District and Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded around 10:02 p.m. Thursday to the area of Route 173 and Altenburg Road in unincorporated Harvard. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the crash involved two vehicles — a pickup truck and a sedan. A preliminary investigation shows a maroon 2009 Honda Civic was traveling westbound on Route 173 west of Altenburg Road. The Honda, driven by Avina, was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane of traffic for unknown reasons, the sheriff’s office said. A blue 2005 Nissan Frontier was traveling eastbound in the eastbound lane of traffic. The Honda struck the Nissan at a high rate of speed in the 19400 block of Route 173. Avina was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The driver of the Nissan suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by ambulance to Javon Bea Hospital Riverside in Rockford. Route 173 between Altenburg Road and Harvard Hills Road was closed for approximately seven hours during the crash investigation. Toxicology results for Avina are still pending, Rein said. The incident remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff's Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner's Office. The post Coroner identifies 25-year-old man killed after wrong way, high-speed crash near Harvard appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| Posted: 15 Jun 2022 08:39 AM PDT    A judge has ordered a Round Lake Beach father held on a $10 million bond after prosecutors say he drowned his children “one by one” in a bathtub before leaving a letter at the scene and fleeing. Jason E. Karels, 35, of the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach, was charged Tuesday with three counts of first-degree murder. He appeared in bond court Wednesday morning from the Lake County Jail. Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said during a press conference that officers responded to the 200 block of East Camden Lane in Round Lake Beach around 1:40 p.m. Monday for a well-being check. A mother went to the residence to pick up her three children who were with their father for visitation for the weekend. Rivera said the mother went into the home and found her three children dead in a bedroom. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said police found a letter in the house that said, “If I can’t have them neither can you,” referring to the children. After Karels’ arrest, he made statements admitting to killing his three children. He later gave a detailed statement to investigators about how he drowned each child one by one in a bathtub, Facklam said. Karels said during the bond hearing that he could not afford a lawyer and was seeking a public defender. Facklam asked Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak to order Karels held without bond. Potkonjak said he could not order that because Facklam had not filed a petition with the court asking for the no bond. Potkonjak ordered Karels held on a $10 million bond. Following the murders, Round Lake Beach police issued an alert to area police departments across the Chicago area. Illinois State Police spotted Karels’ red 2010 Nissan Maxima and attempted a traffic stop on him. Karels refused to stop and led officers on a 17-minute high-speed pursuit where he crashed into a heavily wooded area on Interstate 80 near Water Street in Joliet. Karels had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters. Officers wearing bodycams captured Karels admitting to killing his three kids. Rivera said that Karels had attempted suicide multiple times leading up to his arrest, including at the crime scene at his residence where investigators found a “significant amount” of blood that did not belong to his kids. Karels was hospitalized and Tuesday evening police announced he had been released from the hospital and transported to the Lake County Jail. Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said preliminary autopsies on the three victims indicate they died from drowning. Newton identified the children as Gideon Karels, age 2; Cassidy Karels, age 3; and Bryant Karels, age 5. No other substantial injuries were evident on the children, Newton said. Toxicology results are pending. Rivera said officers did not a history with Karels or the family. Investigators are also unaware of any mental illness history. Rivera did not disclose an exact motive for the killings but called it a “domestic situation.” “We are all touched by this. This is not something you go to and are unaffected by. What they [officers] saw yesterday is something no one should have to see,” Rivera said. Lake County Board Member Dick Barr said Monday evening that the three children were “taken from this earth by unspeakable evil.” “That unspeakable evil existed in the heart and mind of the man who so heinously took the lives of three of his own children,” Barr said. “This was not a criminal act that is emblematic of who we are or where we live, rather a selfish soul, void of humanity, void of compassion, void of mental well being, who cared more about himself than he did about his own children,” Barr said. “As heart broken as I am, I am equally angry. I’m angry that this coward is not dead while his innocent children are stacked up at the morgue and his estranged wife weeps with sorrow no human alive should ever have to endure,” he added. Barr, a Round Lake Beach resident, said he started a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the mother of the children. The fundraiser has already collected more than $50,000 in a day. Authorities said additional charges are possible against Karels, who would need to post $1 million cash to be released. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday for a bond reviewing hearing and then on July 13 for a preliminary hearing. The incident remains under investigation by the Round Lake Beach Police Department. The post Judge orders $10 million bond for man charged with ‘drowning his children one by one’ in Round Lake Beach appeared first on Lake and McHenry County Scanner. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Lake and McHenry County Scanner. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
0 Comments