Author: Paul Stukel

A 33-year-old Minnesota man is in custody after a traffic stop by a Kane County Sheriff’s deputy resulted in the discovery of a wide assortment of illicit drugs on his person and in his vehicle. According to prosecutors, on Tuesday the defendant was pulled over by a Kane County Sheriff’s deputy for a traffic violation. A subsequent investigation of his person and vehicle resulted in officers finding psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and fentanyl in his possession. The defendant, a resident of Duluth, Minnesota, has been charged by Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser with the offenses of Unlawful Possession…

Two former police officers, one from West Chicago and one from Itasca, have been indicted for misuse of the state’s FLOCK surveillence system by making “unauthorized forbidden inquiries” into Illionois license plates. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, Itasca Chief of Police Robert O’Connor and West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury announced yesterday that on Tuesday, September 29, a DuPage County Grand Jury returned a twenty-one count Indictment against the 30-year-old former Itasca officer alleging thirteen counts of Official Misconduct (a Class 3 Felony) and eight counts of Computer Tampering (a Class B Misdemeanor). On the same day, the…

A 25-year-old Bellwood man has been found guilty of fatally shooting a man in the head in a Naperville parking lot in 2021, apparently over a gun deal gone bad. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that a jury has found Robert Chatman-Jonesa guilty on one count of First Degree Murder after deliberating for approximately one hour following a three-day-long trial. Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh presided over the trial. According to prosecutors, on August 29, 2021, at approximately 2:11pm, Naperville police officers responded to a call of shots fired in a parking lot located on Amersale Drive.…

Ending months of speculation driven by a health-related absence from his office, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain announced his retirement Friday, effective November 1, 2026, citing his health and concern for continuity of leadership. “Serving the people of Kane County has been the honor of my life,” said Sheriff Hain. “I’m proud of what we built together and prouder still of the men and women of this office who show up for this community every single day. The work that means the most to me, helping people get treatment and a real second chance instead of just a jail cell,…

A 19-year-old Aurora man has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a man during an apparent drug deal in 2023. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced yesterday that Zahmeir Andrews ws sentenced to 33 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he was convicted in July of First-Degree Murder, a Class M felony; Attempt First-Degree Murder, a Class X felony; Attempt Armed Robbery, a Class 1 felony; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon,a Class 3 felony According to prosecutors, at approximately 7:24pm on August 20, 2023, Aurora police received multiple…

An 18-year-old confirmed gang member from Oswego was arrested by Aurora police Saturday morning for Aggravated Battery just days after being arrested and released on a vehicular burglary charge in Aurora. According to police, at approximately 5:29am on Saturday officers responded to the 700 block of South River Street after the victim reported that an unknown man had threatened him. Preliminary investigation indicates the defendant approached the victim, who was sitting in his vehicle, and a confrontation followed during which the defendant allegedly threatened to shoot him, punched him in the face, and later threatened to stab him. The victim…

A 35-year-old Elgin man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in a violent kidnapping in 2023 that left the victim with fractured bones and stab wounds, among other serious injuries.  Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced yesterday that Judge John Barsanti has sentenced Darnell L. Rhodes to 15 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections. On August 13, 2025, a jury convicted Rhodes of aggravated kidnapping inflicting great bodily harm, a class X felony. According to prosecutors, between March 13 and March 14, 2023, Darnell Rhodes, along with codefendant Roger A. Heaps…

A DuPage County man has received a sentence of 12 years in prison under a plea deal related to an incident in 2025 wherein he brutally beat an elderly female family member in her home in Big Rock Township. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced today that Koda R. Uebel, from Waterman, has agreed to a sentence of 12 years of imprisonment in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of attempt first-degree murder, a Class X felony. According to prosecutors, in the early morning hours of May 31, 2025, attacked a 71-year-old female family member in her…

The Aurora Police Special Operations Group (SOG) is on a roll. On Friday, the department announced that for the third consecutive day, SOG investigators conducted proactive enforcement operations resulting in arrests and significant seizures, this time recovering a large quantity of cannabis and THC products, along with more than $16,000 in cash. “Our Special Operations Group continues to show the value of proactive police work and strong partnerships across our department,” said Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas. “The results we’ve seen over these three days reflect the experience, persistence, and commitment of our investigators and the specialized units supporting them.…

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser has absolved two Aurora police officers of any wrongdoing in the officer-involved fatal shooting of 27-year-old Temesgen Welendreyas of Aurora in January. Mosser’s report, issued Friday, justified the shooting as self-defense and the defense of others. The investigation was conducted by the Fox Valley Major Crimes Task Force* and reviewed by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. It found that on January 21, 2026, Welendreyas battered and threatened his housemate with a knife, and his housemate contacted the police. Aurora police officers were dispatched to the residence, located on the 300 block of Broadway…