Crime & Safety
Regional Police Report: Serial Bank Robber Shot to Death; Illinois' Top Trader of Child Porn Charged
The following police-related items were pulled from area Patches. An arrest is merely an accusation, not a determination of guilt.
Police: Man is State's Top Trader of Child Pornography
A 63-year-old Algonquin man who is being referred to as the "state's top trader of child pornography" was arrested Thursday, according a press release from Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office
Robert A. Huggins, of the 2100 block of Honey Locus Drive, was released Friday morning on bond after he was arrested and charged Thursday with five counts of Class 2 child pornography and five counts of Class X reproduction of child pornography.
If convicted, he could face between six and 30 years in prison on the Class X charge, according to the news release.
Authorities from the attorney general's office and the Algonquin Police Department searched his home where they say evidence of child pornography was found, according to the news release.
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Evanston
Serial Bank Robber Shot to Death by Police
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has linked a suspected bank robber shot and killed by Evanston police to multiple other bank robberies in the area, according to a spokesperson for the agency.
FBI agents believe that Kevin Ross, 29, of Evanston, was involved in four other bank robberies before he robbed the Chase Bank at 901 Grove St. in Evanston on Monday afternoon, according to special agent Joan Hyde. The list includes the robbery of the same Chase Bank in Evanston on Sept. 6.
“As it stands right now, we suspect he is responsible for five,” Hyde said.
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In addition to the two robberies at the Chase Bank, FBI agents believe that Ross also robbed a TCF Bank at 5343 N. Broadway in Chicago on Oct. 2, and again on Dec. 5. They believe he robbed a TCF Bank at 4355 N. Sheridan in Chicago last Thursday, Dec. 12.
Find out what's happening in Lake Zurichwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Deputy Fire Chief, Wife Charged with Stealing From Fire District
Oak Forest resident Michelle Sopko and her husband Charles Sopko, an Oak Forest deputy fire chief, were arrested Thursday morning on charges of embezzling $350,000 from the Palos Heights Fire Protection District.
Michelle and Charles Sopko were each charged with felony theft of government property over $100,000, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Department. That is a Class X felony. Police descended on the couple's Oak Forest home Thursday, seizing computers and other electronics, reports a neighbor.
Michelle Sopko worked at the fire district as a part-time administrative assistant, from October 2008 through December 2012. She is accused of redirecting the district's money to the couple’s joint bank account.
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Naperville
Two people were killed and three hospitalized in an early morning fire Dec. 18.
Firefighters responded to 1212 Field Court around 6:50 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of a fire. A 21-year-old man as well as an 84-year-old man and his 56-year-old daughter were hospitalized.
Tom Lambert and his wife Jan died in the fire, the Daily Herald reported.
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Des Plaines
Judge: Cop Accused of Beating Prisoner Deserved to Get Fired
A Cook County judge has ruled that Des Plaines was justified in its firing of former police officer John Bueno who is accused of using excessive force on a prisoner.
Bueno was fired in March for violating the city's use of force policy. However, an arbitrator ruled Bueno should have received a 15-month suspension and ordered he be reinstated. Des Plaines appealed the arbitrator's ruling.
An internal investigation found that Bueno used excessive force against an individual in his custody, failed to report the August 2010 incident to his superiors and also provided false information to investigators, a press release from the city states.
Previously, the Journal and Topics reported that there was evidence Bueno had beaten as many as three people in different incidents dating back to 2009 during the arbitration hearing. But the arbitrator noted that Des Plaines law enforcement leadership at the time did not investigate the incidents promptly.
For more on this story click here.
Patch reports on law enforcement activity, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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