Author: Fox Valley Magazine

After a 6-day bench trial, Sandeep Arora, 48, of Naperville was found guilty yesterday of sexually assaulting a female passenger in July 2017. In all, Arora was found guilty of two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault (Class X Felony), two counts of Criminal Sexual Assault (Class 1 Felony), one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class 2 Felony) and one count of Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class 4 Felony.) The verdict was handed down by Judge Michael Reidy. On July 9, 2017, the victim left a Naperville establishment with a friend in a taxicab driven by Arora with the victim…

It’s a parent’s nightmare. Between September 2019 and May 2020 Richard J. Reynolds, a member of the Blackhawk Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and a co-director of Canyon Camp, a BSA camp near Stockton, Illinois, sent direct messages via a social media application to the victim. In the messages, Reynolds asked the victim to perform sexual acts, make a photographic record of the acts and share the photographs with him. The victim, who was younger than 18 years old at the time, knew Reynolds through Reynolds’ association with BSA. Reynolds was charged in Kane County because the…

On the morning of September 4, 2005, members of an Aurora street gang were present at a party in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue when they encountered 21-year-old George A. Caro of Aurora. After several of the gang members questioned whether Caro was a true member of the gang and whether he had cooperated with the police in a murder investigation, they severely kicked and punched him, and beat him with a baseball bat. Aurora’s Quinton C. Moore, along with co-defendants Juan Vargas, Max M. Aguilar, Ruben Hernandez and Roman Lucio, participated in the beating. The gang members then…

By NIKA SCHOONOVERCapitol News Illinois Lawmakers are considering a bill that would treat ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft as “common carriers,” opening them up to the same level of liability as other forms of public transportation. House Bill 2231 passed on the House floor this week with a 73-36 vote. The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate. The common carrier status is defined as a “standard of care” under which passengers surrender their safety to certain modes of transportation. Currently in Illinois, this includes taxicabs, railways and elevators, among others. “The reason for treating common carriers and holding…

One would think that the last place you’d expect to be scammed for money would be in court. One would think wrong. According to a joint press release, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office have received multiple reports of a scam involving the use of of Zoom court calls to prey on victims. Here’s how it works. Av person claiming to be a lawyer or public official working for Kane County judges sends messages to people through the Zoom court call chat feature and asks them to make a telephone call. While on the call,…

The Forest Preserve of Kane County is seeking funding to build an enclosure in the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve to house a small herd of Bison. The Bison reintroduction project would assist in restoring tallgrass prairies and would provide natural management of the grassland in the forest preserve. Between 70% to 90% of the Bison’s diet is grass. Wildlife experts say Bison graze on grasses at different heights, providing nesting grounds for birds. They also roll around and pack down the soil in depressions in the ground know as wallows. Their wallows fill with rainwater and offer breeding pools for…

A PNC Bank branch at 1695 Larkin Avenue in Elgin was armed at gunpoint early this afternoon. According to a press release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has jurisdiction over all bank robberies, at approximately 1:37p.m., the FBI responded to a bank robbery at the PNC Bank located at 1695 Larkin Avenue in Elgin. Two armed men verbally demanded funds, and escaped with no injuries reported. The first suspect was described as a 5’9″-11″ black male in his 50’s with a medium build wearing black pants, black jacket, black winter hat, blue surgical mask, transition eyeglasses and black…

Michael Spina, a 65-year-old Aurora man, had been prohibited by the court from going anywhere near his estranged wife. But in January 2020, he decided to break into her home, grab a knife, and stalk around the home looking for her. He will now spend the next 19 years in prison. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that Spina agreed to a sentence of 19 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of home invasion, Class X felony. Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo Jr. accepted the plea. On January…

An unidentified woman was shot and hospitalized last night in what is believed to be an isolated incident. On Friday evening at 7:59 p.m., Elgin police officers responded to the 1000 block of Sebring Dr. for a reported shooting. Officers arrived on scene and located an adult female subject with injuries who was subsequently transported to an area hospital. At this time it is believed the incident is isolated with no threat to the community. Detectives from the Major Investigations Division are actively investigating and updates will be provided as they become available. This is the 10th incident of gunfire…

Welcome to our latest edition of Fox Valley Magazine’s 4 FOR THE WEEKEND where this bloody weather is KILLING us. So let’s get to it, starting with….. Under New Management Welp, the venerable RocHaus in West Dundee has been taken over by the Karas Restaurant Group, owners of the Rookies’ chain, Old Republic Kitchen + Bar, The Village Squire Restaurants and Alexander’s Cafes. Given owner Bob Karas’ absolutely golden touch, we’re confident that this magnificent old venue will be thriving for years to come. This weekend, something a little different… Click here for more. Now THAT’s Not Something You See…