Author: Paul Stukel

A 23-year-old Montgomery man has agreed to a sentence of 16 years of in prison in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking, a Class X felony. Judge Julia Yetter accepted the plea. Prosecutors said that on September 1, 2024, the victim was driving through the drive-thru lane of a Dunkin’ located on the 2900 block of Kirk Road in Aurora when Martinez approached her car, holding an object that appeared to be a firearm. Martinez pointed the object at the victim and ordered her to get out of the vehicle, a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.…

A Joliet man has pled guilty to participating in the drive-by shooting that killed two Boulder Hill women on Veteran’s Day, 2020. Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that Jaquarance Handley of Joliet was sentenced to 35 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections earlier this month on the charge of First-Degree Murder. Handley entered his plea to First-Degree Murder and agreed to the 35-year prison sentence. The case was set for trial this month. Handley’s accomplice, James Brown Jr, had been sentenced to life in prison earlier this year after a jury convicted him of personally discharging an…

Two documented gang members are in custody after separate traffic stops allegedly revealed illegal firearms in their vehicles. In two separate incidents late last week, Aurora officers recovered handguns —one involving an impaired driver with a defaced handgun, and another near a school in which a juvenile fled from a vehicle before being safely taken into custody. Prosecutors have approved multiple felony charges in both cases. On Thursday, officers stopped a Nissan Rogue after observing stop-sign violations near North Avenue and Jackson Street in Aurora. Officers noted indicators of impairment and asked the driver to exit. As officers moved the…

(Photo credit: NCTV) The vehicle found submerged in a Naperville lake Thursday contains human remains that are suspected to be linked to a missing Berwyn man reported missing in 2023. On Thursday just before 11am, divers from the Naperville Fire Department were conducting training exercises in Lake Osborne, located just south of the Naperville Public Safety Campus on Aurora Avenue, when they discovered a submerged vehicle in the southwest portion of the lake. Naperville Police officers, detectives, and crime scene technicians were called to the scene to assist with the recovery of the vehicle and initiate an investigation. At approximately…

Two Aurora men, one a documented gang member, are in custody following months-long narcotics investigations by the Aurora Police Special Operations Group (SOG) investigators and other specialized units. Earlier this month, police executed two search warrants that resulted in multiple arrests and the recovery of firearms, narcotics, and cash. On September 17 at approximately 6:15pm, investigators served a search warrant at a residence in the 600 block of West Galena Boulevard. Inside, officers located 3.4 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, drug packaging, a Springfield Armory 9mm handgun, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, an extended magazine, and numerous…

A 33-year-old Elgin man has been charged with attempted murder and other felonies following an incident Tuesday in the 300 block of McLean Boulevard in Elgin. According to police, at 9:25am Tuesday morning, officers responded to the 300 block of South McLean Boulevard for a reported aggravated battery. The individuals involved had a brief interaction prior to the battery incident and all individuals were identified. One of the participants was transported to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, while the other, the accused, was detained pending further investigation by detectives. Following the investigation, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office…

An Aurora has agreed to a sentence of 11 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault. Judge Julia Yetter accepted the plea. Adolfo Garcia, 27, had previously pled guilty to Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse in 2020. After serving time in jail, he was released on probation as a registered sex offender. According to prosecutors, between January and October, 2024, Garcia used Snapchat to connect with the minor victim who told the defendant she was 16. The victim met Garcia in person, where he provided…

A 26-year-old Aurora man was arrested by Aurora police after unlawfully entering a residence in the 900 block of Wood Street in Aurora, battering the occupants, and then fleeing from officers in a pick-up truck. Officers were dispatched to the residence around 11:13pm on Monday, September 15, for a report of domestic violence and determined that the suspect had unlawfully entered the home, physically battered a female adult victim, and struck a male juvenile who attempted to intervene. He also caused property damage before fleeing in a black Dodge Durango. Aurora officers initially located the Durango and attempted to stop…

A 26-year-old West Chicago man faces felony charges after hitting a man checking his phone in front of a West Chicago apartment building. According to the West Chicago Police Department, at approximately 1:22pm on Thursday West Chicago Police Officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Hillview Avenue. Upon their arrival officers learned that a man had been looking at his phone and sitting on a minibike at the Main Park Apartments when he was struck from behind with a skateboard. The victim dropped his phone, fell to the ground and was kicked in the stomach by the suspect, causing…

A jury has convicted a 25-year-old Elgin man of sexually abusing a juvenile family member for over two years beginning in April 2022. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced yesterday Juan Pop-Pana was found guilty of Criminal Sexual Assault, a Class 1 felony; Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Child, a Class 2 felony; and Intimidation, a Class 3 felony. According to prosecutors, between April 2022 and June 2024 Pop-Pana sexually abused the victim, who was a family member under the age of 18, multiple times and then threatened the victim with having her mother harmed as well…