Author: Paul Stukel

A 66-year-old Elgin was killed Monday afteroon in a single-vehicle crash on Kirk Road in St. Charles. At approximately 3:43pm, St. Charles police and fire personnel were dispatched to the 100 block of South Kirk where they found a GMC SUV on the west side of South Kirk Road. The vehicle was next to a tree, facing southeast, and it had heavy front-end damage. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, later identified as 66-year-old Manuel Barraza of Elgin, was unresponsive. Fire Department personnel extracted Barraza from the vehicle and attempted life-saving measures. He was subsequently transported to Northwestern…

As the City of Aurora’s official kick-off to the holiday season, the annual Winter Lights parade will be held Friday, November 22, beginning at 6pm at Downer Place, from Water Street to River Street, in downtown Aurora. This free family-friendly event will be filled with merry-making moments and a sleigh full of fun for the entire family. Be sure to arrive early, as streets will begin to close at 6:00pm. The tree lighting and fireworks display are best viewed from the East end of the Downer Place bridge. With the parade stepping off at 6:30pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus will…

On Sunday, November 24, the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles will again host its annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, “Rockin The House For St. Jude.” This year’s show will include American English, a complete Beatles tribute band bringing you the very best Beatles story of our time; Ocean’s Rat Pack, the ultimate tribute group devoted to the music of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra; Chicago’s Own Piano Man Band, a high energy group honoring the music of Billy Joel and Elton John; and HEART2HEARTBREAKER, an amazing group primarily featuring the music of Heart and…

An unidentified woman is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot at a residence on Elgin’s west side Tuesday evening. At 6:31pm Tuesday, Elgin police officers responded to the 400 block of South Belmont Avenue for a reported shooting where they found an adult female with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. A 31-year-old man was with the woman. The woman was subsequently transported to a local hospital and the man was taken into custody. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged the man, who lived in the residence, with Aggravated Battery with a Firearm (a Class X Felony); Aggravated…

DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin announced Tuesday that Judge Joshua Dieden has granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trial release for a second West Chicago teen accused of shooting to death two individuals last Saturday night. The 18-year-old suspect from West Chicago has been charged, as an adult, with two counts of First Degree Murder and one count of Attempt Armed Robbery with a Firearm (a Class 1 Felony). According to prosecutors, on November 9, 2024, at approximately 6:14pm, West Chicago police officers responded to a call of a disturbance in the 700 block of West Forest Avenue. Upon…

An eight-month-long investigation into alleged drug sales in Naperville culminated Thursday with the arrest of an Aurora man by Naperville police. The suspect was arrested in a parking lot located in the 1900 block of West Jefferson Avenue. Police allege that he was in possession of 29.6 grams of suspected cocaine at the time of his arrest, and a search of his vehicle revealed an additional 50.1 grams of suspected cocaine inside the vehicle. Detectives also found a loaded Springfield Hellcat 9mm handgun under the driver’s seat. The suspect was charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon…

What authorities are calling a “physical altercation” at a home in Elgin resulted in the death of an unidentified man Wednesday evening. At 11:12pm Wednesday, Elgin police officers responded to the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue to investigate a report of a physical altercation inside a residence. When officers arrived, they found an adult male who was subsequently pronounced deceased on the scene. Authorities reported that the identity of the victim will not be released at this time and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death pending the results of an autopsy. Authorities…

A Naperville man was sentenced to six years in prison for delivering a lethal dose of ketamine to 23-year-old Auroran Austin Bank in 2020. On Friday, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that 27-year-old Samuel M. Nesnidal was sentenced by Judge John Barsanti after Nesnidal had pled guilty to the offense of drug-induced homicide, a class X felony, in May. Prosecutors stated in court that on October 1, 2020, Nesnidal delivered the ketamine to Bank, who ingested the substance and was found dead in his home the next day. An autopsy and toxicology analysis revealed that Bank died…

A mother and son convicted of robbing and murdering a Naperville man in 2018 have been sentenced to what are essentially life terms in prison for their crimes. Ernest Collins, 28, formerly of Rockford, and his mother Candice Jones, 44, formerly of Chicago, appeared in Court yesterday afternoon in front of Judge Michael Reidy who sentenced Collins to seventy years on the murder charge and twenty-eight years on the armed robbery charge, and Jones to forty years on the murder charge and twenty-one years on the armed robbery charge. On January 18, 2018, Naperville police officers responded to a call…

An unidentified man is in hospital after being shot early Tuesday afternoon on Elgin’s east side. At 1:46pm, Elgin police officers responded to the 400 block of Douglas Avenue where they located an adult male with a gunshot wound who was subsequently transported to a local hospital. The investigation of the incident by detectives from the Major Investigations Division led to a large police presence at a residence in the 300 block of Silver Street, where a person of interest was taken into custody. No further information is available at this time. Anyone having information that may assist in the…